Transport Safety Board Seeks Stiffer Standards for Oil Tank Rail Cars

"The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that new oil tank train cars should come with much stronger ability to withstand high heat and pressure from a crash or a blast.

Several oil trains derailed this year, causing large explosions and oil spills and underscoring the “significant vulnerability” to fires of the latest generation of crude oil tank cars, the safety board said.

Traditional tank cars used for crude oil transportation, called DOT-111 cars, have long been known to rupture in crashes. A newer car, CPC-1232, adopted by the rail industry in recent years, has also broken up and exploded in the crashes this year."

Jad Mouawad reports for the New York Times April 6, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"NTSB Issues Recommendations To Boost Oil Train Safety" (Aljazeera America)

"Safety Reccommendation" (NTSB)