Canada’s transport minister said on Wednesday his department would require stronger tank cars for transporting crude oil and other dangerous goods far sooner than previous deadlines, bolstering safety rules as crude by rail exports have hit record levels.
Transport Canada will now require all unjacketed CPC 1232 tank cars that carry crude oil be phased out by Nov. 1 this year, 17 months earlier than a prior deadline, according to Reuters.
Unjacketed CPC 1232 and older DOT 111 cars that carry condensate – a volatile light hydrocarbon – will be phased out by January 1, 2019, well ahead of a previous 2025 deadline.
Phasing out the “least crash-resistant tank cars as soon as possible” will enhance the safety of communities along rail lines and help ensure the reliable transport of goods and commodities, Canada’s Minister of Transport Marc Garneau said in a statement.
The move comes one month after the head of Canada’s Transportation Safety Board told Reuters that stronger rail cars for moving flammable liquids ought to be required sooner than the initial deadlines.
(Reuters)
