This 1995 crash of three Conrail freight trains in Effingham, Ill., killed two workers. The threat of toxic chemical releases forced the residents of 100 homes to evacuate. Residents still report respiratory ailments, memory loss, vision impairment, nerve damage and other lingering effects. Kan. The tankers contain chlorine, sulfuric acid and nuclear materials. As an enormous fire sends up a massive dark cloud, all 1,100 residents are evacuated.
Safety needs to be looked at much closer.
And today, an ever-increasing volume of hazardous chemicals are moving on our nation's railways. It's as if federal regulators have been asleep at the switch. But the two firms' combined track record does not inspire confidence. Some 2,090 hazardous materials incidents were reported by UP and SP between 1991 and 1995. Most of these were smaller spills, such as leaks from tank cars and diesel engines, but UP also had 28 accidents involving chemical releases.