Category Archives: Rail accidents

Argon, Canadian regulation, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Explosion, Federal Regulation (U.S.), Fire, Rail accidents, Railroad crossings, Saskatchewan Canada, Tank car design, Toxic smoke

Rachel Maddow: Train explosion, collision (DRAMATIC VIDEO)

Repost from MSNBC, Rachel Maddow Show
[Editor: Incredible video footage of two early October train crashes, and excellent Rachel Maddow commentary.  (Live video of the train crash at minute 2:10.)  Apologies for the 20-second commercial ad that precedes the video.  – RS]

Train explosion, collision demonstrate oil shipping dangers

Rachel Maddow, 10/07/14


Rachel Maddow reports on a train derailment and subsequent fire in Canada, which follows on the heels of a dramatic train crash in Louisiana as the oil and rail industries try to push back the deadline for new federal safetly requirements.

Argon, Rail accidents, Railroad crossings

Unbelievably no casualties – locomotive slams into truck at full speed (VIDEO)

Repost from KNOE 8 News, Monroe, Louisiana

Train derailment in Mer Rouge, Louisiana (VIDEO)

KNOE 8 News; KNOE-TV; KNOE.com |

MER ROUGE, La. (KNOE 8 News) – Tuesday 10/7 update: KNOE 8 News has learned that the two railroad employees injured in Sunday’s train derailment are now both being treated for their injuries in a Shreveport hospital.

Mer Rouge Police Chief Mitch Stevens says the train engineer has a compound fracture to his leg and some bumps and bruises. The chief says the conductor has numerous broken ribs. He had surgery to remove his spleen and heart surgery related to the broken ribs.

KNOE 8 News is back in Mer Rouge Tuesday continuing to work on this story and what possibly may be done to make this crossing safer.KNOE 8 News; KNOE-TV; KNOE.com |

Previous Story:

MER ROUGE, La. (KNOE 8 News)- KNOE has received some dramatic video from the train accident that took place Sunday in Mer Rouge.

It was shot by a couple waiting at the tracks as the tractor trailer struggled to get off.

We want to remind you this was not fatal and all involved are in stable condition.

Crystal Carter is a sales clerk at the gas station right next to the tracks where this train derailed, she saw it all happen.

She remembers hearing loud bang when the train hit the trailer.

“When I saw that everybody started running and everything and everything else just piled up back here. I was so scared I was frozen I didn’t know what to do,” Crystal said.

Crystal says she has seen this happen before, in the very same spot. The last time the bang wasn’t so loud.

Crystal says some improvements should be made at the crossing.

“I believe it’s really time to get that fixed because it’s to low. for somebody to be coming through here in a truck,” Crystal said.

“We’ve had three fatalities down here at this other crossing and this is the second 18 wheeler crash we have had right here,” Mer Rouge Police Chief Mitch Stephens said.

Initially homes around the the crash were evacuated. Once it was determined the leaking argon posed no threat, residents were allowed to go home and clean-up began.

“We’ve had louisiana hazmat here. we’ve had the department of environmental equality. We’ve had the Governors Office of Homeland Security. We’ve had state police that has been assisting,” Stephens said.

Chief Stephens says the tracks are scheduled to reopen Tuesday. A full clean-up will take several more days.

Crystal hopes something can be done to keep this from happening again.

She says this time no one died, but it may be a different story next time.

Crude By Rail, Federal Regulation (U.S.), Local Regulation, Massive increase in crude-by-rail, Oil spill, Rail accidents, Rail Safety, Solano County CA, State regulation, Tank car design, Valero Benicia Refinery

FOX40 News: Crude Oil Rail Meeting Sparks Questions in Fairfield

Repost from FOX40 NEWS Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto
[Editor – The 2 minute video is MUCH better than the online text below.  Two excellent on camera comments by Antonia Juhasz.  Significant closing statement by Fox40 reporter Ben Deci, “The process in Benicia is moving along pretty quickly.  Valero says it expects to be in front of that [Benicia] City Council before the end of the year.”   (…apologies for the video advertisement.)  – RS]

Crude Oil Rail Meeting Sparks Questions in Fairfield

September 29, 2014, by Ben Deci

FAIRFIELD – Oil is coming out of Middle America and needs to get to refineries somehow. Lots more of it, orders of magnitude more, is moving by rail.

But that means more accidents.

“In 2013 alone, we had more crude oil spills by rail than in every year since 1975 combined — 1.1 million gallons. But thus far in 2014 we’ve already surpassed that,” said Antonia Juhasz, an author and investigative reporter sitting on a panel about oil transport through Solano County.

If Valero gets plans approved for a new refinery complex in Benicia, a lot more oil will be loaded on trains, coming this way.

“Our business is dealing with flammable liquids. We deal with it every day. I’m confident in our preparations,” said Chris Howe, with Valero in Benicia.

For those gathered at today meeting in Solano county who don’t want the crude rolling through their backyards, it’s not clear how much choice they have.

“Freight railroads in the United States are actually required to accept any commodity that is delivered to us by our customers, so long as it’s packaged according to U.S. Department of Transportation regulations,” said Liisa Stark, spokesperson for Union Pacific.

The federal government right now is considering stricter standards for the kinds of train cars the crude can be transported in.

But can the wheels of government keep pace with the wheels on the rail?

“It must. If it’s not going to happen at the federal level, it has to happen at the state level. If it’s not going to happen at the state level it has to happen at the community level. There are communities all across the country that are banning crude by rail,” Juhasz said.

Benicia CA, Derailment, Rail accidents, Rail Safety, Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific investigates Benicia derailment

Repost from The Vallejo Times-Herald
[Editor: Here’s the story on the derailed train engines last Sunday.  Thanks to Jim Kirchhoffer for spotting it and bringing it to our attention.  Tony Burchyns of the Vallejo Times-Herald did an excellent job of investigative reporting (see below).  Tony’s article set the accident in context, providing background on the two other recent Benicia derailments, one on 5/17/14 and another on 11/4/13.  Do the math: that’s 3 derailments in 10 months!  …The story was also covered in the Benicia Herald.  – RS]

Union Pacific investigates Benicia derailment

Two locomotives came off the tracks Sunday near port
By Tony Burchyns, 09/09/2014
Union Pacific Railroad is investigating what caused two of its locomotives to come off the tracks in Benicia on Sunday, a spokesperson for the rail
Union Pacific Railroad is investigating what caused two of its locomotives to come off the tracks in Benicia on Sunday, a spokesperson for the rail operator said Tuesday. (Tony Burchyns-Vallejo-Times-Herald)

BENICIA >> Union Pacific Railroad is investigating what caused two of its locomotives to come off the tracks in Benicia on Sunday, a spokesperson for the rail operator said Tuesday.

The locomotives were being used for switching operations and were moving rail cars near the Benicia port when each had one wheel set come off the tracks at about 2:30 a.m., Union Pacific spokesman Aaron Hunt said. The engines were attached to each other when the derailment occurred, he said.

Both were re-railed several hours later and moved to Union Pacific’s maintenance yard in Roseville, where an internal investigation was launched to determine what caused the derailment, Hunt said. He added the findings would be reported to the Federal Railroad Administration.

“Fortunately there were no injuries and there was no damage to our track infrastructure,” said Hunt, adding he did not know how fast the locomotives were traveling.

Benicia police got a call from Union Pacific at 2:38 a.m. Sunday reporting the incident, but there was no request for assistance and no emergency response by the city, Lt. Scott Przekurat said.

Hunt said that because the derailment happened in the railroad’s automotive yard along Bayshore Road — where finished automobiles that arrive by boat are transported by rail to other places — there was no impact to motorists or other people in the area.

On May 17, two rail cars carrying petroleum coke derailed near the Valero refinery. Prior to that, three rail cars carrying petroleum coke came off the tracks on Nov. 4, 2013.

No hazardous materials were spilled in those incidents, but the derailments have raised eyebrows in light of the Valero refinery’s plan to bring in up to 70,000 barrels of crude oil daily on Union Pacific tracks.

Asked whether the locomotives involved in Sunday’s incident could be used to move tanker cars, Hunt said they were “switching locomotives” and are not the same as those used to move trains from city to city.

“Safety is our primary focus at Union Pacific,” Hunt said. “We invest time, human power and substantial capital to minimize derailments across our 32,000-mile network.”