NTSB blames fiery 2015 BNSF crash on deferred track work

Other factors contributing to the derailment of a BNSF ethanol train on Sept. 19, 2015 near Lesterville, S.D., included an FRA regulation that allowed high-hazard flammable unit trains to continue operating on sub-standard tracks, according to the NTSB.    The probable cause a fiery derailment of a BNSF ethanol train on Sept. 19, 2015 near Lesterville, S.D., was deferred track maintenance, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
   At the time, BNSF continued to operate “high-hazard flammable unit trains” on the line despite it being deemed sub-standard, the NTSB report said.
   Other factors contributing to the derailment included a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) track maintenance regulation that allowed high-hazard flammable unit trains to continue operating even after the track was “reclassified to a lower standard” and continued use of “legacy” Department of Transportation-111 tank cars to carry flammable products, the agency said.
   The BNSF ethanol train, which included three engines, 96 loaded tank cars and two hopper cars filled with sand, lost seven cars during the derailment, two of which released 49,743 gallons of denatured fuel ethanol that caught fire.
   The estimated damaged caused by the derailment was $1.1 million. No injuries were reported.