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.

​View of the accident scene, courtesy of NTSB.

NTSB Issues MRL Derailment Preliminary Report

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report for its investigation of the performance of DOT-111 tank cars in a Montana Rail Link (MRL) train that was involved in

On June 26, 2023, a CSX conductor trainee was killed during a shoving movement at the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Md. Shown above: an illustrated aerial view of the accident scene. (Source: Google Earth; Courtesy of NTSB)

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report on Shove Movement Investigation Following Trainee Fatality

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report for its ongoing investigation of the June 26, 2023, accident involving a CSX conductor trainee, who was killed while riding the lead railcar during a shoving movement at the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Md. The terminal is managed by Ports America, and the track is owned and inspected by Canton Railroad.

Photo Courtesy of VCFD, via Twitter

Reports: Amtrak Train Derails After Hitting Truck in Southern Calif.; 16 Injured

An Amtrak Coast Starlight passenger train heading to Seattle from Los Angeles and carrying approximately 198 passengers derailed on June 28 at 11:15 a.m. in Moorpark, Calif., after striking a county water truck that was blocking the tracks, injuring 16 people and causing “severe damage” to the train, according to multiple news reports.

NTSB photo

NTSB: Short Circuit Probable Cause of MBTA Passenger Fatality

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently determined that the probable cause of an April 10, 2022, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) passenger fatality was a short circuit in the passenger door

The accident OCU, a handheld device that enables a train operator to control the train remotely.

BNSF Adopts Rule Change Following Switching Movement Accident

Following a Feb. 9, 2022, accident involving a BNSF Railway switchman who was struck and killed by a train during a switching movement in the railroad’s Denver, Colo., Globeville Yard, the Class I has adopted the following rule change: “when necessary to ride on the engine exterior, employees must not ride on platforms or walkways and must not ride on steps when coupling, and the train must not exceed 20 mph,” according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Railroad Investigation Report issued June 9, 2023.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.)

Van Orden Debuts Rail Inspector Safety Act

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would be able to add more investigators to its team under the Rail Inspector Safety Act, which Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) introduced June 13 and

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