Late morning rail news:NJ Transit light rail train derailed after collision with vehicle
Service on NJ Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line was suspended for much of Thursday morning after a train derailed when struck by a motor vehicle. WPIX-TV reports the accident occurred about 2 a.m., suspending service between the Garfield and West Side Avenue stations. The collision occurred at the Martin Luther King Drive station and sent two sections of the train into the station platform, causing significant damage. No customers were injured; the train’s operator refused medical attention at the scene. The driver was injured and taken to a local hospital. Service was restored about 10:30 a.m. EDT.
Protective-coating research could make for safer tank cars
Researchers at the University of West Virginia are working on a “Band-Aid-like” protective cover for railroad tank cars that could improve the safety of hazardous-material transportation. The science website Phys.org reports the composite material would be wrapped around the car exterior, and infused with resin-like epoxy to fuse with the metal tank it covers. Its superior puncture and fire resistance will prevent spills and leaks. The material is being developed under a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeloine and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
High speed viaduct is first completed in California’s Kern County
Construction has been completed on a California High Speed Rail Authority viaduct in Kern County, the first completed structure in the 22-mile segment of the project in that county and the fourth completed in the Central Valley since August. The Poso Creek Viaduct, just north of Wasco, Calif., south of Blankenship Avenue and west of State Route 43, is more than 240 feet long and 56 feet wide. More information, including a video of the project, is available here.
