Rail failure caused '03 derailment in Southern Illinois

TAMAROA, Ill. -- Rail failure caused a freight train carrying hazardous chemicals to derail in 2003 in this Southern Illinois community, an accident that forced the evacuation of the entire village, according to a report released Tuesday by federal officials.

The placement of welds on a loosely supported section of railroad track that flexed under the stress of passing trains eventually caused the rail to give way on Feb. 9, 2003, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded in a report made public Tuesday.

The Canadian National-Illinois Central train was traveling about 40 mph when 22 of its 108 cars came off the track while traveling through Tamaroa, 65 miles southeast of St. Louis. The derailment happened 17 days after the welds were made as the company installed new track, the NTSB said.

Canadian National spokeswoman Karen Phillips said the company was reviewing the report Tuesday afternoon and had no comment.

NTSB officials discovered during their investigation that a similar welding problem about five miles away near St. Johns also resulted in a rail failure more than two weeks before the accident in Tamaroa. The crack did not cause a derailment, said NTSB spokesman Paul Schlamm.

The agency also recommended Tuesday a series of changes to the Federal Railroad Administration's regulations for identifying and reporting rail cracks, and it instructed a welding equipment manufacturer to revise its instructions for proper placement of exothermic bond welds on railroad tracks.

The train that derailed in Tamaroa was carrying methanol, vinyl chloride, hydrochloric acid and formaldehyde, each either flammable or potentially toxic. Some chemicals spilled from ruptured train cars, leading authorities to evacuate about 850 people who lived within a three-mile radius of the accident. Those who lived closest to the wreck were out of their homes for almost a week.

Canadian National has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to residents and businesses that were affected by the accident.

No one was injured during the derailment, but one person was injured during cleanup activities.

Damage to the track, signals and equipment, and clearing costs associated with the accident totaled about $1.9 million.