Derailed train in West Virginia hauled newer-model tank cars

A CSX Corp. oil train that derailed and erupted in flames in West Virginia on Monday was hauling newer model tank cars, not the older versions widely criticized for being prone to puncture, the company said.

All of the oil tank cars on the 109-car train were CPC 1232 models, CSX said late Monday. The train, which was carrying North Dakota crude to an oil depot in Yorktown, Virginia, derailed in a small town 54 kilometres southeast of Charleston.

The CPC 1232 is the newer, supposedly tougher version of the DOT-111 cars that were manufactured up until 2011. The DOT-111 cars have been faulted by regulators and operators for a number of years. U.S. and Canadian authorities, under pressure to address a spate of fiery accidents, are seeking to phase out the older models. The U.S. Transportation Department has recommended that even these later models be updated with improved braking systems and thicker hulls.

On Tuesday, CSX said 25 of the tank cars derailed and 20 caught fire. Several cars were leaking oil from valves, the company said.

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No tank cars fell into the Kanawha River after the derailment, the cause of which is under investigation, CSX said in a statement.

The fire destroyed one house and two nearby towns were evacuated. No serious injuries were reported.

The cars were being allowed to burn themselves out.

On Tuesday, CSX told customers that the accident would cause delays along the line as traffic is rerouted.

Water testing was underway along the Kanawha River. So far, tests have come up negative for traces of oil, according to a spokeswoman at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. A nearby water treatment plant has been closed, she said.

It was the second significant oil-train incident in three days. A Canadian National Railways train from Alberta's oil sands derailed in a wooded area of northern Ontario on Feb. 14. CN said 29 of 100 cars were involved and seven caught fire. No injuries were reported.

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The West Virginia incident was also the second derailment in a year along the same CSX line. A similar incident in Lynchburg, Virginia, involved a train also headed to Plains All American Pipelines LP's oil depot in Yorktown, Virginia.

A boom in oil shipments by rail and a spate of derailments across North America have put heightened focus on rail safety. In July 2013, 47 people were killed in the Quebec town of Lac-Mgantic after a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded.