Report: Human error, defects cause most railway incidents
Associated Press
COLUMBUS
Dozens of crude oil-carrying train derailments in recent years have prompted federal regulators to focus on improving the safety of tanker cars, though a newspaper’s analysis of federal records show that track defects and human error are to blame for most incidents.
Trains carrying Bakken crude – a type of highly volatile oil – have made safety an issue in cities across the country, including Columbus.
Records show that about 45 million to 137 gallons of Bakken crude oil moves through Ohio each week, with as much as 25 million gallons through Franklin County, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Much of the crude oil comes from the Bakken Shale formation in North Dakota and Montana. Ohio is a way point between the formation and refineries on the East Coast.
A study finished this year by a Franklin County consultant found that crude oil tops the list of common commodities carried through the area on trains and trucks.
The study’s authors watched trains pass at seven locations across the county and found that about 14 percent of the train cars carried hazardous materials. Almost half of those cars carried crude oil by offices, restaurants, apartments and the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Ohio has a plan in place to deal with hazardous materials, but nothing specific for Bakken crude oil.
“The reason this issue is becoming more prominent is because of the weight of crude oil and ethanol trains,” said Christopher Hart, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Hart said the focus on hazardous-materials crashes is to prevent derailments, ensure tank cars do not breach and ensure emergency personnel are prepared for crashes.