Thursday, October 19, 2006
CONTACT: Barry E. Piatt
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
FRA AGREES TO DORGAN REQUEST TO REQUIRE MORE FREQUENT INSPECTIONS OF RAIL LINES
Senator says tighter inspection rules will help avoid tragedies like 2002 Minot derailment
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) announced Thursday the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has agreed to require more frequent and detailed inspections of joints in railroad tracks – a move he had urged to help prevent accidents like the 2002 derailment that released an anhydrous ammonia cloud over Minot, North Dakota.
The FRA drafted a rule requiring inspection of track joints as a result of legislation Dorgan and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced and steered through Congress in the aftermath of the Minot derailment. But the FRA’s original rule took a “one-size-fits-all” approach that ignores the fact that some lines are at a higher risk for flaws that lead to accidents, Dorgan said.
After Dorgan, Hutchison and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) pushed the FRA to re-visit the rule, the agency has now agreed to do inspections more often and in more detail, and to take local factors into account.
“This is an important step that will help us avoid reliving tragedies like the Minot derailment in 2002,” Dorgan said. “These new regulations will lead to more frequent and detailed inspections, and take into account the fact that every rail line is affected by unique circumstances. That’s important for the safety of our communities along the railroad, and I applaud the FRA for agreeing to tighten these regulations.”
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