[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47486-47487]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18787]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Safety Advisory 2013-05]
Joint Failure on Continuous Welded Rail Track
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of safety advisory.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2013-05 to remind railroad
track owners about the importance of reviewing current, internal
continuous welded rail (CWR) plans and properly inspecting CWR joints
to identify and correct locations that indicate potential joint failure
that may cause a derailment. FRA is issuing this notice in response to
two recent train derailments. Although the causes of these derailments
are still under investigation, preliminary evidence suggests that
failed joint bars played a significant role in both derailments. This
notice reminds railroad track owners that they must comply with the
requirements of their CWR plan procedures regarding inspecting track to
identify indications of potential joint failure in CWR track,
especially that of compromise joints. This notice also recommends that
railroad track owners review their CWR plans to ensure that the
instructions properly identify the necessary track maintenance
procedures to remedy indications of potential joint failure that lead
to rapid failure of joint bars. Finally, the notice recommends that
railroad track owners follow good maintenance practices to ensure the
joints are adequately supported and, wherever possible, eliminate
joints in CWR, especially compromise joints in passenger and hazardous
material routes.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Kenneth Rusk, Staff Director,
Track Division, Office of Railroad Safety, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue
SE., Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-6236; Mr. Carlo M.
Patrick, Staff Director, Rail and Infrastructure Integrity Division,
Office of Railroad Safety, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington,
DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-6399; or Ms. Elisabeth Galotto, Trial
Attorney, Office of Chief Counsel, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-0270.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Joints in CWR are considered one of the
weakest elements of track structure. The track components at a joint
are subject to stresses in vertical, lateral, and longitudinal planes.
Although the number of CWR joint-caused derailments on a main line has
been relatively small, these derailments can be catastrophic,
especially if passenger trains or hazardous materials are involved.
Recent accidents highlight the need for track owners, railroads, and
their respective employees to review, reemphasize, and adhere to the
requirements of a track owner's CWR plan procedures and current
internal engineering instructions that address inspecting track to
identify stress conditions in CWR joints.
FRA requires that a track owner comply with the contents of an
approved or conditionally approved CWR plan under Title 49 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 213.118, Continuous welded rail
(CWR), plan review and approval.\1\ See Sec. 213.119, Continuous
welded rail (CWR), plan contents. The plan must include procedures that
prescribe the scheduling and conduct of inspections to detect cracks
and other indications of potential failures in CWR joints. See Sec.
213.119(h). These procedures are required to specify the conditions of
actual or potential joint failure for which railroad personnel must
inspect, including, at a minimum, (i) loose, bent, or missing joint
bolts; (ii) rail end batter or mismatch that contributes to instability
of the joint; and (iii) evidence of excessive longitudinal rail
movement in or near the joint, including, but not limited to: wide rail
gap, defective joint bolts, disturbed ballast, surface deviations, gap
between tie plates and rail, or displaced rail anchors. See Sec.
213.119(h)(3).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ All references in this notice to a section or other
provision of a regulation are to a section, part, or other provision
in 49 CFR, unless otherwise specified.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recent Incidents
This section provides a brief summary of the circumstances
surrounding two recent train derailments that appear to be related to
joint bar failure in CWR. Information regarding these incidents is
based on FRA and the respective railroad's preliminary findings to
date. The probable causes and contributing factors, if any, have not
yet been established. Therefore, nothing in this safety advisory is
intended to attribute
[[Page 47487]]
a cause to these incidents, or place responsibility for these incidents
on the acts or omissions of any person or entity.
On May 17, 2013, at approximately 6:08 p.m., an eastbound Metro-
North Commuter Railroad (Metro-North) train derailed near Bridgeport,
CT. A portion of the derailed train fouled the adjacent track and was
struck by a westbound Metro-North commuter train. Sixty-nine people
were reportedly injured and damages to the equipment and track amounted
to several million dollars. At the accident, a pair of broken
compromise joint bars was found. The National Transportation Safety
Board is currently investigating the derailment and will ultimately
determine the cause of the accident.
On March 18, 2013, an empty Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) passenger
train derailed in Forest Hill, Queens, NY. Four of the train's eight
cars derailed while traveling 75 mph. The railroad's preliminary
investigation determined the cause to be a broken joint bar.
Recommended Action
Rail joints in CWR warrant special attention and maintenance.
Adequate support (which includes good tie condition, sufficient
ballast, and good drainage) is essential to preventing joint bar
failure. FRA recommends that track owners and railroads:
1. Review the requirements of their CWR plans and train employees
responsible for inspecting CWR, with a focus on inspecting CWR track to
identify conditions of actual or potential joint failure.
2. Review current internal engineering instructions to ensure that
the instructions contain the appropriate track maintenance instructions
to remedy joint conditions that cause joint bars to fail and cause
derailments.
3. Follow good maintenance practices to ensure the joints are
adequately supported, in addition to all of the requirements prescribed
in Sec. 213.119. Ties under and adjacent to CWR joints must be capable
of supporting the traffic loading. When spot tamping the joints by
hand, joints should be raised at least 1 inch to ensure the ballast
particles are properly tamped under the entire width of ties. If the
tamping is conducted in hot weather without immediate mechanical track
stabilization, as is the case with machine tamping, a speed restriction
is required to reduce the risk of track buckling.
4. Perform appropriate ballast maintenance to ensure proper track
drainage for adequate tie support.
5. Wherever possible, eliminate joints in CWR, especially
compromise joints in passenger and hazardous materials routes.
6. Reinforce with employees responsible for inspecting track the
importance of the proper installation and maintenance of joints by
ensuring that sufficient anchoring, ballast, and ties ensure the
integrity of the joint. This is especially important around compromise
joints, which by design typically have a suspended joint configuration.
7. If joint bars (and particularly compromise joint bars) are found
cracked or broken between the middle two bolt holes after a relatively
short time after installation, determine the root cause that led to the
premature failure of the joint bars and correct the deficiency.
FRA strongly encourages railroads and track owners to take actions
that are consistent with the preceding recommendations to help ensure
the safety of the Nation's railroad employees and the public. FRA may
modify Safety Advisory 2013-05, issue additional safety advisories, or
take other appropriate actions it deems necessary to ensure the highest
level of safety on the Nation's railroads, including pursuing other
corrective measures under its rail safety authority.
Robert C. Lauby,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Regulatory and Legislative
Operations.
[FR Doc. 2013-18787 Filed 8-2-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P