3 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

Railway Age, 6/5:
 

DOT-117 defined

 

The wait for a new tank car specification is over. Now comes the “fun” part: Retrofits to older cars, and potentially onerous

operating rules.

 

The final spec for the now-official DOT-117 (TC-117 in Canada) non-pressurized tank car adopts the most demanding of the technical requirements first offered for comment in the notice of rulemaking: jacketed and thermally insulated shells of 9/16-inch steel, full-height half-inch-thick head shields, sturdier, re-closeable pressure relief valves, and rollover protection for top fittings.

 

 

Of most concern to carbuilders and buyers is the tight timeline for the retrofitting or retirement of existing DOT-111s and the newer industry-sponsored CPC-1232 cars constructed since 2011, before the 2013 disaster at Lac-Mégantic forced regulators to finally heed years of warnings by accident investigators in the U.S. and Canada. Those “good faith” cars now need to be upgraded to meet DOT-117 standards by May 1, 2025.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Progressive Railroading, 9/25/20

 

BTS: More rail tank cars meet new safety standards

 

The chart shows the percent of fleet comprised of DOT-117 and DOT-117R tank cars carrying crude oil, 2013-2019. Photo – U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics

a

 

 

Nearly half, or 48 percent, of rail tank cars that carried Class 3 flammable liquids in 2019 met the new safety requirements, up from 33 percent in 2018, according to a report released yesterday by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

 

The Fleet Composition of Rail Tank Cars Carrying Flammable Liquids 2020 Report outlines industry-wide progress in manufacturing and modifying rail tanks cars that transport flammable liquids. It tracks the transformation of the fleet carrying Class 3 flammable liquids to be a fleet of DOT-117s, which meet new safety requirements.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Progressive Railroading, 9/24/21

 

BTS: More rail tank cars met DOT-117 safety standards in 2020

 

 

More than half (54%) of rail tank cars carrying Class III flammable liquids in 2020 met new safety requirements, an increase from the 48% in 2019, according to a U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) report released yesterday.

 

The 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act requires that, by 2029, all Class 3 flammable liquids are carried in DOT-117 or DOT-117R rail tank cars, which meet new safety standards.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

USDOT/Bureau of Transportation Statistics press release
 

More Rail Tank Cars Meet DOT-117 Safety Standards in 2020

 

Thursday, September 23, 2021

 

  Crude oil fleet exceeds 80% compliance, up from 72% in 2019

 

 

More than half (54%) of rail tank cars carrying Class 3 flammable liquids in 2020 met new safety requirements, an increase from the 48% in 2019, according to the  Fleet Composition of Rail Tank Cars Carrying Flammable Liquids: 2021 Report released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

 

The 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act requires that, by 2029, all Class 3 flammable liquids are carried in DOT 117 or DOT-117R rail tank cars, which meet new safety standards. The new report measures progress toward this transition. Class 3 flammable liquids most commonly include crude oil, ethanol, and refined petroleum products. As required by the FAST Act, the report has been submitted to Congress.

 

Inventory of Rail Tank Cars Carrying Class 3 Flammable Liquids

 

A new deadline for 2020 was the phase-out of Non-Jacketed CPC-1232 tank cars carrying crude oil. While the report includes some trips by these cars carrying crude oil, all such trips occurred before the April 1, 2020 deadline. The remaining Jacketed CPC-1232 tank cars carrying crude oil are due to be replaced, retrofitted, or repurposed by May 1, 2025. Jacketed DOT-111s were required to stop carrying crude oil in 2018. Non-jacketed DOT-111s have not carried crude oil since 2016.

 

 

Phase-Out Targets and Dates for Rail Tank Cars Carrying Class 3 Flammable Liquids

 

In 2020, 111,177 rail tank cars were used to carry Class 3 flammable liquids, an increase of 15% from the 94,335 tank cars used in 2016. In 2016, only 8% of the fleet carrying crude oil and other Class 3 flammable liquids consisted of DOT-117s (new or retrofitted), compared to 54% in 2020. For crude oil alone, 81% of the tank car fleet in 2020 consisted of DOT-117s, up from 72% in 2019. 

 

Survey results indicate that 7,413 DOT-117 and DOT-117R tank cars are projected to be built or retrofitted in 2021.

 

The annual BTS report is required under FAST Act, Section 7308. Additionally, Section 7308© requires BTS to estimate the anticipated number of DOT-117 tank cars for each year from 2018 through 2029 by collecting data from tank car shops that build or retrofit tank cars. It is expected that, by the end of 2029, all Class 3 flammable liquids will be carried in rail tank cars that meet or exceed DOT-117 specifications.