(The Charlotte Observer posted the following article on its website on February 13.)
Many ideas to increase rail safety and security have been proposed since the 9-11 attacks, and some were revived or gained new supporters after the Graniteville, S.C., train derailment last month. Among them:
Prior notification
The U.S. Conference of Mayors wants railroads to notify local emergency officials when deadly chemicals are transported through their cities. The mayors say that information is needed for emergency planning. The railroads, though, say the shipments are so common that notifications would inundate local planners. “One of the things that works as a security measure for the railroads is the fact that no one knows when hazardous materials are moving,” says Tom White of the Association of American Railroads.
Rerouting Hazmat
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last month that railroads be forced to ship the most dangerous materials around densely populated areas. U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., proposed legislation to do that, and the Washington, D.C., City Council enacted a 90-day ban on shipments. CSX is fighting the D.C. ban, arguing it would cause inefficiencies and hardship on its rail network. Industry groups say that rerouting simply transfers risks elsewhere.
Increased inspections and fines
U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham have introduced legislation that would increase the maximum fine federal regulators can impose on railroads for safety violations. Schumer, D-N.Y., says the current maximum of $11,000 is a “drop in the bucket for these billion-dollar companies.” The Federal Railroad Administration has 400 inspectors nationwide who evaluate the safety of trains carrying hazardous materials, says Schumer, who has proposed doubling that number to 800.
Safer tank cars
Nearly half of the nation’s 60,000 pressurized rail tank cars, which carry compressed gases, were built before current standards for stronger heat-treated steel went into effect in 1989. With a 50-year average life, some could ride the rails for many more years. Proposed legislation from Corzine would require shippers to retire tank cars after 15 years. Rail carriers say they’re working with government agencies to evaluate the risks posed by the older cars.
Automating manual switches
Investigators believe the train in Graniteville derailed — killing nine people and injuring hundreds — because a rail crew didn’t return a manual switch to the proper position. Forty percent of the mainline tracks in the United States are equipped with such switches. Schumer and others have pushed for replacing them with automatic ones run by computers. Electronic signals would accompany those automatic switches and warn oncoming trains when a track was out of place or blocked.
Reducing crew fatigue
Railroad crews’ unions are pushing Congress to pass a law that would give railroad workers the right to take time off from work if they are exhausted. The unions say such a rule would be key for combating fatigue. In Graniteville, the crew that apparently left the switch in the wrong position had been working 13 hours when it parked its train. Crews aren’t supposed to work more than 12 hours straight and are supposed to get 10 hours’ rest between shifts. But the unions argue even that is inadequate because travel time to and from the tracks eats into rest time.