The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) ongoing investigation of the July 5, 2024, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) train derailment and subsequent hazardous material (hazmat) release and fire near Bordulac, N. Dak., will focus on “detailed tank car damage assessments with the parties, review of maintenance and inspection records, additional infrastructure examinations, and further examination of the onboard image recorders and post-accident unmanned aircraft system videos,“ the agency reported Aug. 1 during the release of its preliminary report.
What happened? At about 3:36 a.m. local time, CPKC train 242-03—traveling eastbound from Minot, N. Dak., to Enderlin, N. Dak.—derailed 29 railcars on the main track of the Carrington Subdivision near Bordulac, according to the NTSB, which noted that its “information is preliminary and subject to change.” The derailed equipment included 17 tank cars transporting hazmat. “There was a post-accident release of methanol and anhydrous ammonia from multiple tank cars and a subsequent pool fire surrounding the derailed cars,” the NTSB reported. While there were no initial reports of injuries, the agency said, “some workers were potentially exposed to hazardous materials during clean-up operations and sought medical attention.”
First responders initiated a voluntary evacuation of two homes for two days. CPKC estimated damages to be approximately $3.6 million, according to the NTSB.
The train included one engineer and one conductor; one head-end locomotive; one rear distributed power locomotive; 126 loaded railcars; and 25 empty railcars. The derailed equipment, the NTSB reported, included 12 covered hoppers of propylene (plastic) pellets, and of the 17 tank cars transporting hazmat six were carrying methanol and 11 were carrying anhydrous ammonia.
The train was traveling about 45 mph at the time of the derailment, according to the NTSB, which added that “as a designated key train, its maximum speed was restricted to 50 mph.” Visibility conditions had been “dark and clear” and the weather was 59°F with no precipitation, the agency noted; the track and the surrounding area, however, were wet from earlier rainfall.
At the time of the derailment, an automatic emergency brake application was initiated, NTSB said. Train movements near the derailment site are authorized by wayside signals.
The derailed tank cars are reported to include DOT-111, DOT-112 and DOT-117 cars, according to the NTSB; when its investigators perform detailed damage assessments of all the tank cars involved in the accident, they will confirm the tank car types.
The NTSB said it completed a preliminary examination of the outward-facing image recorders from the accident train and two prior trains that traversed the accident location, as well as from a manned CPKC geometry car that traversed the track about 20 hours before the accident. The agency also conducted interviews of the CPKC engineer, conductor, superintendent, manager of bridge maintenance, and track inspector; reviewed locomotive event recorder data; examined the track and infrastructure at the accident location; and performed mechanical evaluations of the railcars not involved in the derailment. The NTSB noted that it is not involved in air monitoring, testing of water quality, environmental remediation, or evacuation orders.
Parties to the investigation include the Federal Railroad Administration; CPKC; International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers; Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes; Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; Union Tank Car Company; and Trinity Industries Leasing Company.
According to the NTSB, the timing between beginning an investigation and a “probable cause determination and report varies based on the complexity of the investigation and the workload of the agency’s investigators.” Generally, the agency tries to complete an investigation within 12 to 24 months, it said.
