The number of tanker cars transporting oil on U.S. railroads today is 40 times what it was in 2008 and during the next decade, officials from the Department of Transportation (DOT) expect crude-by-rail shipments to increase from 1 million bpd to more than 4.5 million bpd. With that increased traffic, transportation officials are working to maintain rail safety as trains pass through metropolitan areas such as Minneapolis, Chicago and Cleveland.
Transportation officials in the United States and Canada are pushing for changes like slowing and rerouting trains, upgrading tank cars and bolstering fire departments. The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) has urged government officials to adopt the safety standards embraced by rail industry trade group Association of American Railroads in October 2011.
“The discovery of new sources of crude oil in North America is one of the most important developments for our economy in the past few decades,” said Thomas D. Simpson, president of RSI. “It’s up to the federal government to complete its rulemaking and issue new standards for the manufacture and modification of tank cars meant to carry crude oil or ethanol.”
Railroads adopting voluntary changes
The nation’s major freight railroads recently joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a new rail operations safety initiative that will institute voluntary operating practices for moving crude by rail. The voluntary efforts taken by the railroads include:
- Increased track inspections.
- Emergency braking systems.
- Use of rail traffic routing technology.
- Lower speeds.
- Community.
- Increased trackside safety.
- Increased emergency response training and tuition.
- Emergency response capability planning.
Officials institute emergency orders
In 2013, the DOT’S Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Canadian government’s Transport Canada issued emergency regulations to improve safety on the countries’ railways, following the disastrous derailment of a crude oil train in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.
The FRA issued an emergency order and safety advisory to help prevent trains carrying flammable liquids, including crude oil and ethanol, and operating on mainline tracks or sidings from moving unintentionally. Those new regulations are consistent with the emergency directive issued by Transport Canada that says trains with dangerous goods cannot be left unattended on a main track and such tank cars must be operated by at least a two person crew.
Earlier this year, the DOT issued a new emergency order requiring all rail shippers test crude from the Bakken region to ensure proper classification before it is transported, while also prohibiting the transportation of crude oil in the lowest-strength packing group.
The emergency order was issued following the derailments of trains carrying crude oil from the region and out of concerns with proper classification. The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) raised issues with the emergency order in a letter sent to Foxx requesting modifications in testing requirements that exceeded those of the Hazardous Materials Regulations.
The DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) subsequently narrowed the scope of testing requirements, stating shippers must determine the boiling point and flash point of crude cargoes. The changes also require shippers test product shipments “with sufficient frequency” to ensure its classification is current and accurate.
“We appreciate PHMSA’s judicious response to the issues we raised in our letter to Secretary Foxx and hope the agency’s response will bring clarity to the emergency order that is necessary to avoid potential disruptions in supply,” AFPM President Charles T. Drevna said. “AFPM remains committed to working with PHMSA to ensure the safe and efficient transportation of crude oil shipped by rail.”
The updated order applies only to flammable “UN 1267” crudes, so bitumen from Canada’s oil sands formations can be transported in rail cars under the amended set of rules. Rail shipments of bitumen to the United States from Western Canada have risen past 200,000 bpd and are expected to reach 500,000 bpd by the end of the year.
To read more crude-by-rail news, visit BICMagazine.com.
Photo: Harvey Henkelmann
