By Frank D. Roylance , SUN REPORTER|April 01, 2008
The Federal Railroad Administration has proposed what it calls "sweeping" and "revolutionary" changes in standards for the construction of the railroad tank cars that carry the most dangerous chemicals through American communities.
The new rules would strengthen the tankers to prevent penetration and ruptures at speeds up to 30 mph and slow some freights hauling dangerous cargo until the older tankers are replaced.
Railroads and chemical companies would have to replace half the 15,300 tank cars used to transport chlorine and anhydrous ammonia with stronger models within five years of the rules' enactment. The entire fleet would be replaced within eight years.
A spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon welcomed the FRA proposal.
"Given the history of train derailments, particularly tanker cars, in Baltimore, anything that decreases the potential for a chemical leak of a dangerous spill in Baltimore ... we're in favor of," Sterling Clifford said.
The railroad industry, in a statement from the Association of American Railroads, said it would need more time to study the 186-page FRA proposal.
But the trade group expressed hope that the FRA's action "will be a step forward in our quest to further improve the safety of cars carrying these extremely dangerous materials that railroads are forced to carry under federal law."
Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman has said he wants to have the new rules in place before the Bush administration leaves office in January 2009. There will be 60 days of public comment on the proposal, said FRA spokesman Steve Kulm. After that, the agency will incorporate any suggested changes they feel are warranted and then conduct a final administrative review before issuing the new rules.
Baltimoreans became painfully aware of the hazards posed by the freight trains in their midst after a 60-car CSX train derailed deep in the century-old Howard Street Tunnel in July 2001.
Although no chlorine or anhydrous ammonia was involved, the accident ignited a fire that burned for days. Smoke billowed from both ends of the tunnel and wafted across parts of downtown Baltimore.
Smoke, and a fear of toxic gas releases, closed downtown businesses, diverted traffic and canceled major league baseball games. Rail transport through the region was snarled.
No one died, and only a few people had to be treated for minor injuries. The cargo manifest showed none of the most dangerous materials that firefighters had feared they might encounter.
