NTSB says DOT-117 cars contributed to severity of 2017 ethanol train derailment

October 31, 2018 |

In Washington, a broken rail, inadequate track maintenance and inspection, and inadequate federal oversight led to the March 10, 2017, derailment of a Union Pacific Railroad ethanol train near Graettinger, Iowa, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report released Tuesday.

The agency also said in its report the continued use of US Department of Transportation Specification 111 tank rail tank cars in ethanol service, instead of the more robust DOT-117 tank cars, contributed to the severity of the accident in which about 322,000 gallons of undenatured ethanol was released, fueling a post-accident fire that burned for more than 36 hours. No one was injured in the accident that forced the evacuation of three nearby homes and caused an estimated $4 million in damage including the destruction of 400-feet of railroad track and a 152-foot railroad bridge.

The train consisted of three locomotives, 98 loaded tank cars and two buffer cars filled with sand. Twenty of the 98 loaded tank cars derailed, 14 of the 20 derailed tank cars released their cargo of ethanol. Of these 14, 10 were breached from mechanical damage, four tank cars with shell damage released ethanol from bottom outlets or top fittings and thermal damage. The report states the use of DOT-117 cars, instead of the DOT-111 tank rail cars involved in the accident, would have mitigated or prevented the release of ethanol most of the derailed cars.

Category: Fuels

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