WASHINGTON — Almost two years after an unattended oil train derailed and exploded in Quebec, killing 47 people, the U.S. and Canadian governments jointly set new rules designed to make railroad tank cars easier to stop and less prone to punctures.
Newly built rail cars must have thicker steel walls, more protection at the ends and tougher valves. Tankers now in use would have to start being replaced or retrofitted in 2017, and, four years later, electronically controlled brakes would be required in some cases when trains are pulling 70 or more cars.
The rules are a “significant improvement over the current regulations” and will make hauling crude by rail safer, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.
While regulators had advanced interim measures such as speed restrictions, the rules announced Friday are more sweeping in scope and tougher on the industry, particularly for companies that own the tank cars. The government estimated it will cost $2.5 billion for companies to comply with the rules.
The American Petroleum Institute reacted warily, saying in an e-mail that it welcomed the release of the new rules but they need to be “carefully examined.”
“The key question is whether science and data show each change will make a meaningful improvement to safety,” Jack Gerard, president of the trade association, said in a statement.
