The NTSB highlighted the fact that some of the 17 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that derailed were DOT-111 tank cars that have demonstrated time and again that they are prone to rupturing ...

About 25,000 DOT-111 tank cars are still in use, according to the Association of American Railroads. That’s a relatively small part of the North American tank car fleet of about 450,000.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), on March 22 released a safety advisory, which it said was to ...

At the same time, tank car owners, which are not usually the railroad companies themselves, can apply for an alternative inspection plan or special permit to incorporate these new methods into their ...