Rail Safety

With so much new domestic production, rail has played an increasingly important role in the movement of crude oil. Rail infrastructure is vital to moving crude oil produced in new fields to otherwise underserved markets. Rail loading facilities for crude oil have been or are being constructed in virtually every new production area of the United States, including in Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Colorado and Wyoming.

Over the years, the railroad system has evolved into the broad network we have today, delivering many vital products throughout the nation. Rail is also a critical part of the U.S. energy infrastructure and transports key petroleum products such as heating oil, propane, diesel, lubricants, plastics, and other necessities people rely on every day.

The oil and gas industry's goal is zero rail incidents. Industry efforts are aimed holistically at preventing, mitigating, and responding to incidents involving energy products as they move throughout the rail transportation system. The oil and gas industry is partnering with regulators, the railroads and other stakeholders to evaluate ways to improve the safety of rail transportation of crude oil through enhanced training and communication. The industry is committed to using the best science, research and real-world data to make measurable improvements to safety. An approach based on sound science and data will ensure that any changes to existing standards and practices achieve real safety improvements and do not shift risk to other areas. Continued collaboration with the railroads and regulators resulted in two significant improvements in rail transportation of crude oil: TRANSCAER's safety awareness course for first responders and API Recommended Practice 3000 for tank cars.

Watch this video to learn more about the rail industry's commitment to improving safety through tank car design and innovation.

Downloads

API-AAR TRANSCAER® Crude by Rail Response Safety Course

File Size: 4.5 MB