6/7/2016 1:20:00 AM
NEWS BRIEFS
Derailment Probe Focuses on Fasteners
On June 3, sixteen cars of a 96-car Union Pacific unit oil train derailed in Mosier, Oregon – about 70 miles east of Portland – and four of the cars caught fire. The incident forced the evacuation of part of the town and closed several miles of Interstate 84.
The investigation into the derailment is focusing on the track.
“Union Pacific said Sunday there was likely a failure of a fastener between the rail and a tie,” KIRO 7 News reports.
Regulators say fastener failure can cause a derailment if the rails move slightly, making them the wrong distance apart, according to KIRO 7 News.
Union Pacific said it inspected tracks through Mosier four days before the train derailed.
The incident prompted political leaders in Oregon to call for a temporary halt to oil train traffic in the Columbia River Gorge. In response, the Union Pacific is temporarily diverting some shipments onto BNSF Railway tracks on the Washington side of the Gorge.
It’s unclear how much the derailment cleanup will cost.
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