Nearly half of the 250 bridges observed showed signs of “significant stress and decay,” according to a new investigative report from environmental advocacy groups Waterkeeper Alliance and ForestEthics.
At least 114 freight railway bridges in the United States are potentially deficient, showing areas of “serious concern,” according to a new investigative report from the environmental groups Waterkeeper Alliance and ForestEthics.
The report, entitled DEADLY CROSSING: Neglected Bridges & Exploding Oil Trains, explored the state of the nation’s rail infrastructure by inspecting and documenting the condition of 250 railway bridges in 15 states along high-volume oil train routes.
Waterkeeper Alliance and ForestEthics, coauthors of the report, said the report was commissioned after the agencies noted a 5,000 percent increase in oil train traffic since 2008. This increase, the groups argue “increases both the strain in rail infrastructure, as well as the likelihood of a rail bridge defect leading to an oil train derailment, spill, explosion and fire.”
Oil-by-rail shipments can potentially be extremely dangerous, as evidenced by several high-profile derailments and explosions of trains carrying crude and petroleum products from the Bakken region of North Dakota. The report cited an audit announcement regarding the Federal Railroad Administration’s oversight of railroad bridge safety from the Office of the Inspector General, which estimated 24 train accidents were caused by misalignment or failure of railroad bridges over the past 10 years.
The U.S. Department of Transportation released new rules in May 2015 requiring stronger tank cars and the more efficient electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake system in an attempt to improve the safety of the transport of crude and other flammable liquids by rail. ECP brakes can reduce the distance and time needed for a train to stop and keep more tank cars on the track in the event of a derailment, according to FRA.
The report documented “areas of serious concern” on nearly half of the railway bridges observed, with meaning they showed “signs of significant stress and decay, such as rotted, cracked, or crumbling foundations, and loose or broken beams. Waterkeepers were also present when crude oil trains passed and observed flexing, slumping and vibrations that crumbled concrete.”
According to the report, “Oil trains directly threaten the life and safety of 25 million Americans living inside the 1 mile evacuation blast zone in the case of an oil train fire, and the drinking water supplies for tens of millions more.”
Waterkeeper Alliance and ForestEthics said they “are calling for the federal government and rail industry to immediately inspect all rail bridges, share safety information with emergency responders and the public, and stop oil train traffic on any bridge with known safety problems.”
“Waterkeepers boarded their patrol boats to uncover what is happening to the structural integrity of our nation’s railway bridges, a responsibility our federal government has shirked,” Marc Yaggi, executive director of Waterkeeper Alliance, said of the report. “People deserve to know the state of this infrastructure and the risks oil trains pose as they rumble through our communities.”
“Half the bridges we looked at have potentially serious safety problems,” added Matt Krogh, ForestEthics extreme oil campaign director. “There are 100,000 rail bridges in the U.S. – any one of them could be the next deadly crossing. Oil trains are rolling over crumbling bridges and we can’t wait for the next derailment, spill, and explosion to act.”
The report included a review of railway bridge safety standards, which found the federal government cedes authority and oversight of “dangerously inadequate” inspections and repairs to railway bridge owners, and “overly broad” federal laws and “lax regulations” compound the threat from oil trains. The problem, according to the report, is that the 2008 federal law and subsequent DOT standards regulating rail bridge safety leaves responsibility for determining load limits, safety inspections, and maintenance with rail bridge owners.
“Do truckers get to inspect their own trucks? Do you get to inspect your own car? Of course not. So it’s insane, and completely unacceptable, that the rail industry gets to inspect its own infrastructure while moving cargo that is of such enormous risk to American citizens and the environment,” said Riverkeeper Boat Captain John Lipscomb.
According to reports from the Associated Press, Association of American Railroads spokesman Ed Greenberg questioned the methodology of the report in a statement, adding that railroads work hard to ensure their bridges and tracks are safe.
“Outward appearance doesn’t determine whether a bridge is structurally sound,” said Greenberg. “Today’s rail bridges are built, maintained and inspected to handle today’s freight traffic.”
Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah Feinberg said she’s confident railroad bridges are sound, but that the industry hasn’t done enough to assure the public this is the case.
“I know that railroads are expending significant resources on maintaining bridges,” Feinberg said at a rail industry conference last week. “I know that just because a bridge isn’t pretty doesn’t mean it isn’t in good shape and it isn’t going to remain in good shape for decades to come.”
Environmental groups find 114 U.S. freight railway bridges potentially deficient
