A train consisting of countless tankers of crude oil and gas runs off the tracks. Its tank trailers were not built to handle such an explosive mix of liquid fuel and gas, and they burst open violently, spewing flames in every direction. A sound like thunder echoes for miles. Black plumes of smoke billow into the sky, and explosion after explosion rattles the nearby homes and businesses. Air sirens sound, and emergency frequencies come to life. First responders rush to the scene.
This horrific scenario has played out before, causing dozens of deaths and billions of dollars in damage. It’s relieving, then, that the episode that played out last month in Orangeburg was just a drill. On July 23, dozens of Rockland County’s police, fire, EMS, Hazardous Materials agencies, town utilities, state and local health, environmental and emergency services organizations convened for a specially-designed simulation of a grade crossing accident and fire, using a CSX-provided “safety train.” Trained volunteers played the roles of injured drivers and bystanders, with realistic wounds and reactions. Fire and EMS personnel, along with local police, took on roles at incident command posts, to keep all the county’s assets working together efficiently and safely.
“Bomb trains” consist of a long series of tanker cars. Following the 2013 derailment in Lac-Megantic, which killed 47 people, many claimed that the old DOT-111 tanker models were to blame. A new model, called the CPC-1232, was developed. These new cars are retrofitted with protective shields that are supposed to prevent rupturing. However, at least four of the five recent incidents have involved the newer cars. To learn more about the threat of “bomb trains”, watch our video below:
The increase of fracking activity has led to a boom in “bomb train” traffic–in 2009 there were 9,000 of the black rail cars, today there are more than 500,000, In 2010, 55,000 barrels of crude oil were shipped by rail each day in the U.S.; today it is more than 1 million barrels per day. These trains wind through residential areas, putting our communities–and our lives–at risk. Since February 14 a half-dozen of these “bomb trains” have derailed and spilled or exploded, in Illinois, Ontario and West Virginia, leaving widespread destruction and environmental damage in their wake. The Department of Transportation estimates that if this pace of shipping continues there will be fifteen major accidents every year and one of the enormity of the Lac-Megantic disaster every two years. It isn’t a question of if there will be another “bomb train” disaster–its a matter of when. With so much at stake, it’s increasingly vital that we educate the public on the risks of bomb trains so something can be done about them.