greenbrier unveils new rail car design for oil ethanol transport

February, 10^th 2014

-

According to data from AAR, 99.9977 percent of all rail-carried hazardous material arrives at its destination without incident. However, recent high-profile derailments have clearly demonstrated the need for updating the North American tank car fleet to the highest practical safety standards, Greenbrier Chairman and CEO William Furman said in a Feb. 5 press release.

The surge in Bakken crude oil production has created demand for additional tank cars to transport oil. The company’s design is part of an attempt to be aggressive in creating a solution for the industry, the company spokesperson said.

“Greenbrier is addressing the tank car safety issue on two fronts – by supporting the 'Tank Car of the Future' and through offering retrofit alternatives for the legacy fleet, including our most recently built CPC-1232 tank cars, as may be appropriate,” Furman commented. “This allows the industry to take immediate steps to improve public safety. It also preserves the massive investment in tank cars now in service, by extending the time these cars could be used in hazardous material transportation as they ultimately transition over time to a less hazardous service.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation has yet to rule on industry recommendations to adopt the CPC-1232 standards submitted to them in March 2011. These were subsequently mandated by the AAR on tank cars ordered after October 2011.

As of November 2013, 272,100 DOT-111 tank cars were in service in North America, including 255,000 built according to the older legacy design. Among those tank cars, 170,000 were used in hazardous transport, with 68,000 tank cars in crude oil and ethanol service.

Furman said Greenbrier anticipates the "Tank Car of the Future" and retrofit offerings will comply with anticipated Class I rail carrier requirements as well as pending regulatory actions by the United States and Canadian governments.

Greenbrier’s retrofitting work, as part of its Wheels, Refurbishment & Parts segment, will not materially impact production rates for newbuilds as part of its Manufacturing segment.

The company can produce 4,000 tank cars a year in North America, and will increase its capacity due to higher demand for tank cars related to the U.S. shale boom. As of Nov. 30, 2013, 47 percent of the company’s backlog consisted of tank cars based on the CPC-1232 design standards and pressure cars. Greenbrier no longer manufactures DOT-111 tank cars for transporting flammable freight.

The series of accidents involving trains transporting crude in the United States and Canada have prompted the governments of both countries to issue recommendations for preventing future accidents, The New York Times reported Jan. 24.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sumber : www.Rigzone.com