WASHINGTON — Sixteen tank cars, 15 of them carrying hazardous materials, derailed in the Montana Rail Link incident involving the Reed Point bridge collapse on June 24, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on the incident released on Monday.
The NTSB’s investigation is only considering the performance of DOT-111 tank cars in the derailment, and therefore does not address the question whether the derailment caused the bridge collapse or the reverse. The Federal Railroad Administration is leading other aspects of the investigation.
The preliminary report, which sets out basic facts of the incident, says the 55-car train, including 47 loaded cars, was crossing the bridge over the Yellowstone River at 38 mph when the derailment occurred. Sixteen tank cars, in positions 36 through 52, derailed. Ten of those cars ended up in the water, including nine carrying hazardous materials; all nine of those cars were DOT-111 cars. Cars carrying molten sulfur and asphalt petroleum liquid were mechanically breached and released into the river; two cars with sodium hydrosulfide derailed but did not release.
It takes two government agencies to investigate a single accident?
I remember not all that long ago a NTSB statement that transportation safety had improved to the point where it would have to expand its mission. Not long thereafter it announced its investigation of a roller coaster accident……. My suggestion at the time was for the NTSB to declare victory, fold its tent and to the extent they are necessary turn its activities and personnel over to the relevant (FRA, FAAl etc), agencies. But then I recall the lady at the head of the FRA being quoted in a reference to employees “at the wheel” of America’s trains. Oh well, our tax $$ at work……….
On a happier note it sounds like MRL has done a good job of getting its railroad open here.
A little off topic but I enjoyed the stories of your employment with CNW a couple of years ago. Entertaining and educational, was sorry to see the stories end.
The FRA is leading all other aspects of the investigation, according to NTSB. An FRA spokesperson said that its investigation is “active and ongoing,” and its “focus remains on the cause of derailment, as well as understanding the structural failure. EPA remains the lead on environmental cleanup and remediation.”
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
As I noted earlier, it would be interesting to know if the recent removal of the former US-10 bridge just 60 feet away less than 18 months ago had any bearing on the behavior of the railroad piers.
Thanks. I had tried looking up on Google Earth for location; so the highway bridge WAS recently removed. Bridge removal leading to RR collapse wouldn’t surprise me as a cause.