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* LAST WE KNEW: Back-to-back train derailments in mid-May drastically slowed the flow of coal out of the southern Powder River Basin over the summer.
* THE LATEST: Another train derailment in the area on Saturday caused another disruption. Railroad and outside market forces have pushed Powder River Basin coal prices beyond $15 per ton.
* WHAT'S NEXT: Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific plan to increase coal traffic basinwide in 2006, while coal producers hope the additional volumes help them capitalize on high coal prices.
The nuclear waste is also planned to be shipped to the site by rail which raises concerns for many people over the possibility of rail accidents, sabotage or even theft by terrorists.
en.wikipedia.org...
Investigators said a manual switch on the main line was open, which sent the train into a parked train. A 3-man railroad crew was responsible for the switch. Over five thousand people in a one mile radius around the site were immediately evacuated, and as of 1/12/05 only a few could return home. These people had to abruptly leave their houses and live away from home more than a week. In 2003 there were only 25 derailments compared to 119 in 1980. The disaster so damaged a textile mill that eventually 350 people had to be laid off. The accident was eventually blamed on the 3-man crew, who were all fired, although it was never proven that they failed to return the switch to its proper position.
The worst train disaster since 1999 occurred when a man parked his Jeep Cherokee on a train track in Glendale, CA, doused it with gas and watched as two trains collided, killing 11 people and injured almost 200. The man allegedly wanted to create a "horrific tragedy" to impress his wife. A total of 20 people died in train accidents in January
ROCHESTER - Authorities are investigating the apparent sabotage of railroad tracks that could have triggered a train accident
A train derailed in San Marcos, TX leading to the evacuation of about 200 residents within a 1000' radius. The residents were not allowed to return home until the next day. The tracks had just been inspected days earlier. The derailment left investigators puzzled because all the track conditions met Federal standards, the train was only traveling at 25 mph and no external cause could be found
About 20 of 69 train cars derailed in Bancroft, MI, exploding a propane tank and forcing the evacuation of the town. The force of the blast shook houses about a mile away. There was hazardous material being hauled but fortunately it was not released. There was a 2nd derailment here in the fall, and a third recently. A local resident said, "If this was a 1- time thing, you might think, yes, accidents do happen, but maybe something should be looked at to see if it is a problem in this area." He went on to say that the railroad does a good job of checking on things, but something is wrong. The local fire chief said, "It seems like they are doing a lot of work right here to keep it up, but I just don't understand why this happened. It's the 2nd 1 within 6 months...I talked to the conductors, and they said they were driving along, and all of a sudden, they felt a tug. They have no clue." Another resident said, "I'm still shaking. It was horrible. It was really scary. It was like slow motion. We saw a big fireball."
As part of its long-term growth strategy, CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX) today announced plans to expand capacity on its existing rail lines between Chicago and Florida, and between Albany, N.Y. and New York City. Company officials made the announcement during an investor and analyst conference at the New York Stock Exchange.
"These investments will enable CSX to meet demand for freight service to the rapidly growing Southeast while continuing to improve service in the populous Northeast," said Michael Ward, chairman, president and CEO. "We're delighted to add even more service capability to our excellent rail network at a time when demand for transportation services is at record levels."
Construction is expected to begin in early 2006 and includes the installation of rail sidings, signals and other infrastructure improvements to facilitate the movement of more freight with improved service and reliability. In addition, the company will make infrastructure improvements to other parts of its 22,000 mile rail network.
Originally posted by kinglizard
start transporting radioactive waste to the Yucca mountain complex/dump in Nevada from all over the United States.
Originally posted by woodwhite
I have seen the thermal expansion of rails and what it can do, its pretty scary. A 1/4 of track snapping free (yes SNAPPING free) like a huge bullwhip and wiping out anything in its path. All sorts of damage will breed from that little oops.
but the containers that hold these materials haven't split open and caused catastrophes.
Originally posted by mrsdudara
hmmmmm anyone else scared about this?