Trains News Wire
FRA shuts down Oklahoma short line
By David Lassen | February 6, 2024
Agency finds Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad was operating ‘with complete disregard for safety of the public’
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has issued an emergency order shutting down the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad, a 37-mile, Class III short line in Oklahoma, saying the railroad is “operating with a complete disregard for the safety of the public and has not taken corrective action to resolve safety issues … posing imminent risks of injury or death.”
The FRA order, issued Feb. 2 and signed by FRA Administrator Amit Bose, took effect Feb. 3. It says an agency investigation found a “pattern of gross negligence and willful failures to comply with Federal safety regulations … [that] persuades FRA that reliance alone upon the assurances and cooperation of BNGR is not possible, consistent with public safety.” It requires the railroad to take 14 steps regarding certification, inspection, and safety programs before the FRA will conduct inspections and determine whether the railroad can resume operation, and assesses more than $177,000 in penalties.