The Department of Transportation on Jan. 12 released its final rule on interim rail tank car standards, which will be effective March 16, 2009. The rule-making process was observed closely by the fertilizer industry, and recommendations were submitted by The Fertilizer Institute regarding railcar standards for the transportation of anhydrous ammonia and other poison inhalation hazard (PIH) materials.
The final rule requires PIH tank cars to have better puncture resistance from a side impact with a combination of thicker inner shells where the hazmat is held and/or thicker outer jackets, depending on the specific hazmat being transported. In addition, each end of the tank car is to be protected with a full head shield where not already mandated by existing regulations, while strengthened valves, top fittings, and nozzles used to load and unload the tank car are required to prevent a release in a rollover accident.
The new rule also imposes a 50 mph maximum speed restriction on all loaded PIH tank cars, and allows for an increase in the gross weight of the tank car to accommodate the enhanced safety measures. In addition, it requires tank car owners to prioritize the retirement or replacement of older tank cars used in PIH service that were built prior to 1989 with non-normalized steel that may not adequately resist the development of fractures.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said the final rule provides an increase in safety over existing rail hazmat tank car designs pending further technological and manufacturing advancements. “Strengthening rail hazmat tank cars will reduce the risk of spills and increase public safety should a train accident occur,” Peters said, noting that adoption of these interim design standards will ensure the ongoing availability of PIH tank cars with improved safety while DOT completes longer-term research, testing, and validation of advanced tank car designs for a more stringent performance-based standard to further increase rail hazmat tank car crashworthiness.
TFI said it is pleased with DOT’s announcement since it allows the continued use of the 112J340 anhydrous ammonia rail tank car, and adopted TFI’s recommendation that an enhanced 400 pound car or a newly constructed 500 pound tank car be permitted as alternative tank cars.
“TFI and the railroads hold a strong record of working together on transportation issues and we were pleased to see many of our comments to DOT taken into consideration,” said TFI President Ford B. West. “TFI and its anhydrous ammonia shipper members support DOT’s efforts for enhanced safety of tank cars, and the anhydrous ammonia industry is committed to doing its part to minimize the occurrence of accidents and to reduce the probability of a release should an accident occur.”
Specifically, TFI submitted a petition to DOT in May 2008 in support of an interim rail tank car in anhydrous ammonia service. In its petition, TFI suggested the retirement of all pre-1989 non-normalized steel cars by Dec. 31, 2010; authorization for use of 112J340 ammonia cars built prior to 2001 until Dec. 31, 2021; authorization for use of 112J340 ammonia cars built after 2001 for a life of 20 years; and authorization for use of a 112J400 pound car enhanced with a thicker jacket for ammonia service beginning Jan. 1, 2009, with a 25-year life from the date of the final rule.
In issuing the interim standards, DOT stated that while it allows the continued use of 112J340 rail tank cars, its rulemaking does not set a definite timeframe for the duration of this decision. DOT notified TFI that a timeline will be addressed in future rulemaking, which will set the final performance standards for tank cars.
“This overall plan is reasonable, makes sound business sense and helps accomplish a smooth transition of the ammonia car fleet,” said West.\
The final rule was issued by the DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in close consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration following a broad and multi-faceted review of virtually all aspects of rail tank car safety. It applies to PIH tank cars built on or after March 16, 2009.
Peters noted that in June 2008, a new rail hazmat routing rule took effect requiring railroads to rigorously analyze and then select the route with the fewest overall safety and security risks. Peters said the hazmat routing rule, combined with the hazmat tank car rule, provides enhanced protection for people living in both large cities and small towns.