Which Freight Trains Have Derailed Across the US in Recent Days?
© AFP 2023 / DUSTIN FRANZ
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The United States has suffered numerous train derailments in recent days, which have attracted greater scrutiny following the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, which has continued to unfold.
There are about 1,000 train derailments every year in the US, with broken or defective tracks being one of the most common causes, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The vast majority are minor affairs and cause no injuries or spillage, but some can lead to major environmental disasters or loss of life.
Railroads are the backbone of the US economy. According to industry statistics, American freight railroads haul around 1.7 billion tons of raw materials and finished goods each year, or one-third of all US exports. This is in part because the amount of cargo each freight car can carry has increased about 25% over the last 20 years, thanks to new designs, but also thanks to newer, more powerful locomotives that are able to haul longer trains.
Van Buren, Michigan
The most recent derailment was in Van Buren Township, Michigan, outside Detroit on Thursday morning.
The derailment involved approximately 30 cars on a train operated by Norfolk Southern Railroad - the largest railway in eastern North America. According to the town government, only one of the derailed cars overturned, which was a grain car. One car involved in the accident contained liquid chlorine, but it was not close to the overturned section and there were no reported signs of leakage. There were no injuries reported.
Authorities have not stated any cause for the derailment as of yet, telling the press that "the investigation is active and ongoing, updates will be made to the public as they become available.”
Splendora, Texas
A train operated by Union Pacific, the country’s second-largest railway and half of a west coast freight-hauling duopoly with BNSF, was rammed by a truck driver in the Texas town of Splendora, to the north-east of Houston, on Monday night.The truck driver died in the crash.
According to Union Pacific, 21 cars had become derailed, but none had spilled hazardous materials. The railroad said the chemicals on board the train were “household chemicals,” including paint and aerosol cans.
🚨Now crews are responding to a deadly train derailment in Houston, TX... These crashes are no longer coincidences... #TrainDerailment #OHIOTRAINCRASH #EnoreeTrainCrash #HoustonTrainCrash 🚂👀👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/fh7QNS1Qw9
— Lindsey ❤️ (@Lindsey1454) February 13, 2023
However, the truck spilled about 100 gallons of diesel and about 15 quarts of oil as a result of the crash.
According to Hazmat, air quality was set-up as a precaution as containers were moved. Normal air quality was detected during the whole process,” the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Enoree, South Carolina
Another train in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, was reported as derailed early on Monday. The train was operated by CSX, the other half of a freight duopoly that dominates shipping in the eastern US.
The derailment happened on a spur track associated with industry. No cars were reported as overturning, no leakage of chemicals was reported and no injuries were reported.
NEW 🚨 Reports of train derailment in Enoree, South Carolina, as per Fox Carolina pic.twitter.com/TZ1Vl2b0wI
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 13, 2023
East Palestine, Ohio
The situation in East Palestine, Ohio, on the border with Pennsylvania is continuing to unfold nearly two weeks after the crash occurred.
The incident began late on February 3 when, according to preliminary findings released by a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation, one of the railcars’ wheel trucks suffered a mechanical issue possibly related to a sparking axle, causing 50 railcars to derail. The cars piled up and caught fire, with the massive flames pouring smoke into the sky.
Черный дым, поднимающийся с места схода в рельс 50 вагонов товарного поезда в американском штате Огайо
© AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar
However, there was more than just smoke: 14 cars on the train were carrying vinyl chloride, with six others carrying a variety of other toxic chemicals, which were also burning. As firefighters attempted to combat the flames, a dangerous change in temperature was detected in one of the chemical tanker cars, and the Ohio and Pennsylvania governors ordered an evacuation in a 1-mile radius around the fire. Norfolk Southern then deliberately lit five of the vinyl chloride-toting cars on fire as part of a “controlled release” to avoid a catastrophic explosion.
The resulting fire poured hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the sky: the former is a key ingredient in hydrochloric acid and the latter was used as a chemical weapon during World War I and was responsible for killing 85,000 soldiers. Although authorities assured residents the area was safe and allowed them to return, many have complained of headaches and trouble breathing for dozens of miles around the crash site, and thousands of fish, pets, and livestock have been discovered dead.
The contradictory government messaging, combined with the incident being largely uncovered in US media for several days after, has led many to suspect a cover-up of a major ecological disaster is underway.
