U.S., Canada pass “aggressive” oil-train regulations

The new safety rules present sweeping reforms to North American oil-train practices, and are much more stringent than anticipated - to the railway industry's dismay.

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The United States and Canada have unveiled the highly anticipated new safety rules for trains specializing in the shipment of oil, largely in response to a series of oil-train spills and explosions, reports Reuters.
 
The outlet reports that these regulations are considered “more aggressive than the toughest proposals yet put forward” and will require sweeping, wide-scale reforms across the crude-by-rail industry.
 
One of the most contentious rules will mandate the elimination of older tank cars known as DOT-111, which are prone to derailment.  The industry says this could cost billions of dollars and may only produce a marginal upgrade in safety.
 
In addition, tank cars known as CPC-1232 that were manufactured after October 2011 will need to be retired by 2020, a timeframe that is “three years faster than rules proposed in Canada earlier this year that were already considered stringent.”
 
"This stronger, safer, more robust tank car will protect communities on both sides of our shared border," Canada’s Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt told Reuters.
 
In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation limits trains transporting flammable goods to 30 miles per hour, with a maximum of 69 railcars. 
 
Finally, the regulations will require all tank cars to operate with “thicker hulls, head shields to protect the end of each car, electronic pneumatic brakes and pressure-relief valves,” all of which advocates claim are necessary to advance public safety.
 
The electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes would shift braking from one axle at a time to all axles simultaneously, and is projected to be one of the more expensive directives put forth by the bilateral regulations.

The Association of American Railways (AAR) welcomed most of the safety rules, but questions whether an ECP requirement is worthwhile.  


“The DOT couldn’t make a safety case for ECP but forged ahead anyhow,” AAR President Ed Hamberger said in a statement. “This is an imprudent decision made without supporting data or analysis. I have a hard time believing the determination to impose ECP brakes is anything but a rash rush to judgment.”
 
The changes will cost an estimated $2.5 billion over the next two decades, according to Reuters, while the potential benefits range from $912 million to $2.9 billion. 
 
 
 

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