Common type of rail car has dangerous design flaw Originally
published September 12, 2012 at 6 p.m., updated September 12,
2012 at 9:05 p.m. CHICAGO (AP) — For two decades, one of the
most commonly used types of rail tanker has been allowed to haul
hazardous liquids from coast to coast even though transportation
officials were aware of a dangerous design flaw that almost
guarantees the car will tear open in an accident, potentially
spilling cargo that could catch fire, explode or contaminate the
environment. The rail and chemical industries have committed to
a safer design for new tankers but are pressing regulators not
to require modifications to tens of thousands of existing cars,
despite a spike in the number of accidents as more tankers are
put into service to accommodate soaring demand for ethanol, the
highly flammable corn-based fuel usually transported by rail.
Derailments have triggered chemical spills and massive blasts
like one in July in Columbus, Ohio, that blew up with such
intensity that one wit