FRA, RAILROAD FAULTED FOR 2017 CRASH: NTSB placed blame on Union Pacific Railroad as well as the Federal Railroad Administration for a March 10, 2017, train derailment in northwest Iowa that spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of ethanol and started a fire that burned for more than 36 hours. The railroad was not maintaining the subdivision of track where the accident occurred, and its supervision failed to find and fix defective crossties, NTSB staff said at a meeting Tuesday. The FRA also failed to identify defective crossties, and declined to use available enforcement powers to require Union Pacific to comply with minimum track safety standards. Both Union Pacific and FRA said they’re reviewing NTSB’s findings and recommendations.
Story by The Associated Press published by desmoinesregister.com