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Abstract In recent years, longer and heavier trains have become more common, primarily driven by efficiency and cost‐saving measures in the railroad industry. Regulation of train length is currently under consideration in the United States at both the federal and state levels, because of concerns that longer trains may have a higher risk of derailment, but the relationship between train length and risk of derailment is not yet well understood. In this study, we use data on freight train accidents during the 2013–2022 period from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Rail Equipment Accident and Highway‐Rail Grade Crossing Accident databases to estimate the relationship between freight train length and the risk of derailment. We determine that longer trains do have a greater risk of derailment. Based on our analysis, running 100‐car trains is associated with 1.11 (95% confidence interval: 1.10–1.12) times the derailment odds of running 50‐car trains (or a 11% increase), even accounting for the fact that only half as many 100‐car trains would need to run. For 200‐car trains, the odds increase by 24% (odds ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval: 1.20–1.28), again accounting for the need for fewer trains. Understanding derailment risk is an important component for evaluating the overall safety of the rail system and for the future development and regulation of freight rail transportation. Given the limitations of the current data on freight train length, this study provides an important step toward such an understanding.
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Transportation of hazardous material via railroad: Incident investigation and a case study of derailment in 2023
Abstract Railway transportation of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) is common and is generally considered safe. However, transporting toxic, flammable, and explosive substances via railways carries significant risk due to their high volume, proximity to populated areas, low public awareness, and potential domino effect. Particularly, the practice has come into question after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio in February of 2023. This derailment continuously reminds the public and the industry that such incidents can profoundly affect a community, critical infrastructure, and the environment. To identify the root cause of the Ohio train derailment and discover the deficiency of the safety system applied, combining the cause mapping approach with the safety triad concept was employed in this study. Based on this approach and the preliminary incident investigation released by the National Transportation Safety Board, the incident sequence is established, and the causal events leading to this incident are identified in the three essential pillars of its safety system: prevention, mitigation, and response, respectively. The study subsequently develops recommendations to improve the safety system of HAZMAT freight trains. This is expected to lower further the probability and consequence of HAZMAT freight train incidents and ultimately result in long‐term changes in railroad transportation.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2149891
- PAR ID:
- 10643831
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Process Safety Progress
- Volume:
- 43
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 1066-8527
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 570-578
- Size(s):
- p. 570-578
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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