NTSB wants all tanks in a blanket

Proponents of current plans to renew the continent’s crude oil tank car fleet arrived at work April 7 to find another embarrassing egg laid at their doorstep, and not by the Easter Bunny.
Commentary

Tank car builders don’t agree on DOT-111 obsolescence timeline

Tank car builder The Greenbrier Companies is urging the White House Office of Management and Budget to disregard advice by the company’s own industry trade group, the Railway Supply Institute-Committee on Tank Cars (RSI-CTC), and proceed full speed ahead with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s proposed schedule for fleet renewal.

RSI-CTC to PHMSA: Stronger tank cars alone won’t do it

The Railway Supply Institute Committee on Tank Cars (RSI-CTC) on Feb. 6, 2015, released a statement regarding the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) draft rule on tank cars for crude oil and ethanol going to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. RSI-CTC said that stronger tank cars are only part of the means necessary to prevent hazmat spills in a derailment.

Report: Proposed tank car rule is costly

A report prepared by The Brattle Group on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, states that a new proposed rule on railroad tank cars could cost the U.S. economy as much as $60 billion.

Greenbrier calls for no delays on PHMSA rulemaking, legacy tank car retrofits

Greenbrier on Oct. 10, 2014 reiterated its support for the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) proposed Option 2 design for new tank cars in flammable service built after Oct. 1, 2015, which will be designated the DOT-116.

Improving safety on North America’s “122-inch pipeline”

Are corrosion protection strategies for rail “all hat and no cattle?” (all talk, no substance?). James McDonald, Terry Aben P.E., and Douglas Mittlesteadt of Hempel USA examine this subject for Railway Age.

RSI-CTC to PHMSA: “One size fits all” won’t work

In comments sent to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Dept. 30, 2014, the Railway Supply Institute Committee on Tank Cars (RSI-CTC) warned of “significant disruption to safety and to major sectors of the North American economy if mismatched rulemakings were to be implemented separately by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Transport Canada.” These disruptions include “the loss of a significant portion of the rail tank car fleet during the modification period, and unintended consequences such as a potential increase in truck shipments of flammable liquids on highways.”

Railcar builder stocks tumble following PHMSA NPRM comment period

Shares of The Greenbrier Companies and Trinity Industries fell 10.2% and 7.7%, respectively, in afternoon trading on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, one day after the deadline for final comments on the U.S. DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on tank cars carrying flammable liquids. Wall Street analysts attributed the stock plunge (which also affected American Railcar Industries, down 5.8%) to investor wariness over an “oil tank car rule fight.”

AAR comments to PHMSA stress efficiency as well as safety

The Association of American Railroads on Sept. 30, 2014 submitted its comments on the U.S. Department of Transportation-Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) on standards for tank cars carrying flammable liquids such as crude oil and ethanol. “When considering the final rule, the DOT should take into account not only the crude by rail safety measures outlined in the industry’s voluntary agreement with the DOT, but the fact that the increased movement of crude oil, in particular, represents America’s move toward energy independence,” said AAR President and CEO Ed Hamberger.

Greenbrier responds to PHMSA tank car NPRM

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. on Sept. 30, 2014, filed comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on HHFTs (High Hazard Flammable Trains)—hazmat tank cars carrying crude oil and ethanol—issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The deadline for filing comments is Sept. 30.
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