The North Platte Nebraska Volunteer Fire Department on Sept. 14 at 4:25 p.m. reported via social media platform X that “NP Fire & Hazmat are on scene with UPRR. The incident is contained at this time. They are monitoring the situation and the weather, adjusting their tactics and evacuations to keep responders and citizens safe. Stay alert to any changes that may come.” (Photograph Courtesy of NPVFD, via X)

Report: Explosion at UP’s Bailey Yard in Nebraska (Updated Sept. 20)

The Sept. 14 explosion from inside an intermodal container loaded on a railcar at Union Pacific’s (UP) Bailey Yard was contained within hours, allowing yard operations to resume. An investigation is under way.

NTSB Opens Public Docket for Ongoing Investigation of Fatal UP Collision (Updated with Commentary)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened a public docket for its ongoing investigation of the Sept. 8, 2022 accident near Imperial County, Calif., involving a Union Pacific (UP) freight train

DOT-113C120W9 LNG tank car. (Chart Industries Photograph)

LNG by Rail: PHMSA Finalizes Temporary Reg Rollback (Updated)

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will suspend its July 24, 2020, authorization of liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport in DOT-113C120W9-specification rail tank cars, pending the earlier of either completion

​​Figure 1. Aerial view of the accident scene. (Source: CSX.)

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report on CSX Conductor Trainee Fatality

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report for the investigation of the Aug. 6 accident involving a CSX conductor trainee fatally injured during a shoving movement at the CSX railroad yard in Cumberland, Md. The agency said future activity will focus on CSX employee training and close clearance identification practices of the standing locomotives.

The intersection of Island Avenue and Woodland Avenue in Philadelphia, where SEPTA trolley 9107 derailed on July 27 and struck an SUV and the Blue Bell Inn. (NTSB)

NTSB: Brakes on Trolley Involved in SEPTA Derailment Disabled to Allow for Repairs  

A preliminary report on the derailment of a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) trolley issued on Aug. 21 by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has revealed that the brakes on trolley 9107, which, on July 27, derailed and struck an SUV and a restaurant, had been disabled on the day of the accident to allow for air compressor replacement.

NS Issues East Palestine Progress Report

Norfolk Southern (NS) has released a six-month progress report outlining its efforts following the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment as well as its next steps. The 15-page report (download below) covers the

PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown

PHMSA Eyes Rail Safety Rule to Aid First Responders in Hazmat Incidents (UPDATED Aug. 15)

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on June 21 reported proposing a new rule that would require all railroads to “always maintain—and update in real-time—accurate, electronic information about rail hazmat shipments in a train consist that would be accessible to authorized emergency response personnel.” On Aug. 15, the government agency extended the comment period for that proposal.

Pictured (left to right): William Thomas (Tom) McMurry Jr., National Transportation Safety Board; Rob Nash, Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois; Alejandro Solis, HDR; and Benjamin Allen, Holland & Knight.

People News: NTSB, RTA, HDR, Holland & Knight

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) appoints a General Counsel and a Director for the Office of Research and Engineering. Also, there is a new Director, Government Affairs at the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Northeastern Illinois; leader for HDR’s Transportation Economics and Statistics Services practice; and Litigation Section Partner at global law firm Holland & Knight.

NTSB-provided photographs from the July 6, 2023, Norfolk Southern derailment in Virginia: Derailed gondola cars (left) and a wheelset with a burned-off bearing (right) from unit coal train 814V404. (Sources: NS, left; Federal Railroad Administration, right.)

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report on NS Coal Train Derailment

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report for the investigation of Norfolk Southern’s (NS) July 6, 2023, coal train derailment near Elliston, Va. The agency said future activity will focus on the wheelset and reconditioned bearings of the 71st railcar of the 105-car train; NS’s use of hot bearing detectors (HBD); and NS’s operating rules for defective equipment detectors.

Aerial view of the Amtrak Empire Builder derailment scene, Sept. 25, 2021. (NTSB Report Photograph, Courtesy of the Billings Gazette)

NTSB: ‘Poor Track Conditions’ Led to 2021 Empire Builder Derailment

A combination of worn rail, vertical track deflection, subgrade instability and track misalignment led to the derailment of Amtrak’s westbound Empire Builder on Sept. 25, 2021, which killed three passengers and injured 49 passengers and crew members, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) final investigation report, released July 27.

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