The United States Department of Transportation has announced today a new rule that stipulates that trains carrying the most toxic and dangerous materials and substances, will be required to be routed on the most secure routes.

Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters announced that the new rule, taking effect from the first of July, will require railroads to conduct a comprehensive safety and security risk analysis of its primary route and any practicable alternative routes over which it has authority to operate.  The Secretary saying that the strong measure will better ensure “that rail shipments of hazardous materials will reach their final destinations safely and without incident.”

Analysis carried out as a result of the new rule will require the consideration of information provided by local communities, as well as the consideration of a minimum of 27 risk factors like trip length, volume and type of hazardous material being moved, existing safety measures along the route, and population density. Railroads must implement their routing decisions based on these analyses by September 2009.

The rule  is also said to apply to trains hauling Poison Inhalation Hazard commodities such as chlorine and anhydrous ammonia, the carriage of these substances having previously been identified as a safety and security issue that needed addressing by both industry and community.  Indeed the inclusion of rail security provisions designed to guard against tampering of rail cars during the transportation of hazardous materials is a significant part of ensuring the security of rail movements.

The new rule complements the Department of Transportation’s proposal from last month,  that proposal, to increase by 500 percent on average the amount of energy a rail hazardous materials tank car must be able to absorb during a train accident before a catastrophic failure occurs.  Secretary Peters saying that such a dramatic improvement will be able to be achieved with modern designs, as well as the use of innovative materials and technologies, in tank car construction, this “as well as  and in combination with speed restrictions.”

In finishing, Secretary Peters said that “Stronger hazmat tank cars moving on the safest and most secure rail routes will enhance safety for people living in big cities and rural towns all across America.”

According to the Department of Transportation, the interim final rule on rail hazardous materials routing was developed by the Department’s own Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration.  A development that fully complies with the provisions of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007.

Source: United States Department of Transportation

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