Emergency order reduces speeds for trains carrying oil

FRIDLEY, Minn. — The U.S. Department of Transportation has signed off on an order that requires trains to slow down in high urban areas. On Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration issued the emergency order that trains carrying large quantities of crude oil or ethanol travel no faster than 40 mph through highly populated areas.

The move to improve rail safety comes after two trains carrying crude oil from the fields in North Dakota derailed this year, one in West Virginia, the other in Illinois. Both burst into flames.

"The railroads do a great job with safety. This isn't about them not being good stewards and not being safe. It's about how many more trains are actually travelling on these tracks now," said Anoka County Emergency Management Director Terry Stolzman, who plans for such disasters.

He says reducing speed limits should reduce the risk of derailments, and that is a good thing. But he is also concerned that traffic could wait longer at railroad crossings, making it tougher for emergency vehicles to respond quickly.

However BNSF Railway spokesman Mike Trevino said the railroad industry has already been voluntarily observing the 40 mph speed limit for crude oil trains since last summer.

On top of that, he told KARE-TV that in March, BNSF further reduced its oil train speeds to 35 mph through populated areas. Plus, it now has stricter standards for wheel and rail inspections.

Trevino said the next step is safer tank cars, but those are not owned by the railroads. They're owned by those shipping the oil.

Federal officials have been discussing new, safer tank car standards that would make them better able to withstand high heat and pressure. But any such standards, if put in place, may not take effect for a couple years.