Which Freight Trains Have Derailed Across the US in Recent Days?

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.