International Business Times Sept 29, 2014
By Maria Gallucci - Life is slowing down in Bozeman, a small city in southern Montana near a major railroad. More shipments of Bakken Shale oil and local coal are passing through, and it’s taking drivers more time to cross the tracks and get around town. Fire trucks, ambulances and police cars have to wait while carload after carload chugs along. “It takes longer for those public safety services to get to us,” says Beth Kaeding, a Bozeman resident and conservationist....
... The GAO examined the Department of Transportation’s ongoing to work to establish train safety provisions in the wake of recent derailments and several serious oil accidents, including a deadly explosion in Lac-Megantic, Quebec. The investigators found that officials’ efforts “do not fully consider freight-related traffic congestion,” and that they have failed so far to “fully establish the federal role or identify goals, objectives or performance measures in this area.”....
.... In the Pacific Northwest, the congestion is making it harder for agricultural producers and other suppliers to ship their goods via rail. Last month, the operator of a refrigerated rail service, Cold Train, said it was suspending service at a Washington port due to long delays on rail lines and a near-doubling of transit times, in part because of Bakken crude shipments. The service would have guaranteed to deliver Washington’s apples, cherries and potatoes to Midwest markets within three days, according to the company....
.... The GAO report found that local communities are largely on their own if they want to increase the number of rail crossings, improve traffic signals or take other measures to alleviate the train traffic and reduce the risks of accidents and derailments. Funding is limited in state and local agencies, and private railroad companies aren’t required to pitch in.... read more here
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