DOT 45-08
Contact: Steve Kulm, or Warren Flatau, Tel.: (202) 493-6024
Monday, March 31, 2008
DOT Proposal Revolutionizes Rail Hazmat Tank Car Safety,
Improves Puncture Resistance, Limits Speed, and Phases Out Oldest From Most
Toxic Service
The safety of rail tank cars that carry the most dangerous
hazardous materials will be dramatically improved under the most sweeping and
revolutionary proposal in decades, announced U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Mary E. Peters.
“This proposal is designed to significantly reduce the hazard of hauling
hazardous materials by rail,” Peters said, explaining the performance-based
standard will increase by 500 percent on average the amount of energy the tank
car must absorb during a train accident before a catastrophic failure may occur.
The proposal requires tank cars carrying Poison Inhalation Hazard (PIH)
commodities such as chlorine and anhydrous ammonia to be equipped with
puncture-resistance protection strong enough to prevent penetration at speeds of
25 mph for side impacts and 30 mph for head-on collisions—more than double the
speed for existing tank cars. The proposal allows flexibility in reaching that
goal, but it is expected the outer tank car shell and both head ends will be
strengthened, the inner tank holding the hazmat cargo will be better shielded,
and the space between the two will be designed with more energy absorption and
protection capabilities.
The proposed rule also sets a maximum speed limit of 50 mph for any train
transporting a PIH tank car. In addition, a temporary speed restriction of 30
mph is being proposed for all PIH tank cars not meeting the puncture-resistance
standard and which are traveling in ‘dark’, or non-signaled territory, until the
rule is fully implemented or other safety measures are installed.
Finally, the proposed rule requires that some of the oldest PIH tank cars in use
today be phased out on an accelerated schedule so they no longer carry PIH
materials. Specifically, this addresses the concern that PIH tank cars
manufactured prior to 1989 with non-normalized steel may not adequately resist
the development of fractures that can lead to a catastrophic failure.
“When the opportunity to make major advances in safety is within our reach, we
should not settle for incremental measures,” Federal Railroad Administrator
Joseph H. Boardman said.
This proposal was developed by the Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration in close consultation with the Federal Railroad
Administration and addresses issues arising from serious train accidents
involving hazmat releases that occurred in Minot, ND, Macdona, TX, and
Graniteville, SC.
For additional information,
click here.
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