BNSF adds safety rules for crude oil trains

OMAHA, Neb. – BNSF has started taking additional safety measures for crude oil shipments because of four recent high-profile derailments in the U.S. and Canada, the railroad said Monday.

Under the changes, BNSF is slowing crude oil trains to 35 mph in cities with more than 100,000 people and increasing track inspections near waterways. The Fort Worth, Texas-based railroad also is stepping up efforts to find and repair defective wheels before they can cause derailments.

BNSF spokesman Michael Trevino said these additional safety efforts were imposed last week in response to the recent derailments, including one involving a BNSF train earlier this month near Galena, Illinois, and the Mississippi River.

“The recent incidents involving crude trains, including our own event in Galena, has led us to believe that we must take further action,” Trevino said.

The number of rail accidents remains relatively small compared to total rail traffic, but fiery accidents involving crude oil are increasing because U.S. and Canadian oil production is booming.

Trevino said the railroad already had doubled the frequency of track inspections near waterways; now it will inspect the track 2 1/2 times more often than regulations require.

BNSF, like the other major freight railroads, uses a system of trackside detectors to identify wheels and axles that are beginning to fail. Trevino said the railroad will begin removing flawed wheels sooner to help prevent derailments.

These new BNSF efforts go beyond the voluntary measures railroads agreed to last year when the industry pledged to slow crude oil trains to 40 mph in metropolitan areas and report route information to emergency responders.

Federal regulators are finalizing new standards for the tank cars that carry crude oil and new rules for railroad operations.