[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47486-47487]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18787]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Safety Advisory 2013-05]


Joint Failure on Continuous Welded Rail Track

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of safety advisory.

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2013-05 to remind railroad 
track owners about the importance of reviewing current, internal 
continuous welded rail (CWR) plans and properly inspecting CWR joints 
to identify and correct locations that indicate potential joint failure 
that may cause a derailment. FRA is issuing this notice in response to 
two recent train derailments. Although the causes of these derailments 
are still under investigation, preliminary evidence suggests that 
failed joint bars played a significant role in both derailments. This 
notice reminds railroad track owners that they must comply with the 
requirements of their CWR plan procedures regarding inspecting track to 
identify indications of potential joint failure in CWR track, 
especially that of compromise joints. This notice also recommends that 
railroad track owners review their CWR plans to ensure that the 
instructions properly identify the necessary track maintenance 
procedures to remedy indications of potential joint failure that lead 
to rapid failure of joint bars. Finally, the notice recommends that 
railroad track owners follow good maintenance practices to ensure the 
joints are adequately supported and, wherever possible, eliminate 
joints in CWR, especially compromise joints in passenger and hazardous 
material routes.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Kenneth Rusk, Staff Director, 
Track Division, Office of Railroad Safety, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-6236; Mr. Carlo M. 
Patrick, Staff Director, Rail and Infrastructure Integrity Division, 
Office of Railroad Safety, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 
DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-6399; or Ms. Elisabeth Galotto, Trial 
Attorney, Office of Chief Counsel, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-0270.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Joints in CWR are considered one of the 
weakest elements of track structure. The track components at a joint 
are subject to stresses in vertical, lateral, and longitudinal planes. 
Although the number of CWR joint-caused derailments on a main line has 
been relatively small, these derailments can be catastrophic, 
especially if passenger trains or hazardous materials are involved. 
Recent accidents highlight the need for track owners, railroads, and 
their respective employees to review, reemphasize, and adhere to the 
requirements of a track owner's CWR plan procedures and current 
internal engineering instructions that address inspecting track to 
identify stress conditions in CWR joints.
    FRA requires that a track owner comply with the contents of an 
approved or conditionally approved CWR plan under Title 49 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 213.118, Continuous welded rail 
(CWR), plan review and approval.\1\ See Sec.  213.119, Continuous 
welded rail (CWR), plan contents. The plan must include procedures that 
prescribe the scheduling and conduct of inspections to detect cracks 
and other indications of potential failures in CWR joints. See Sec.  
213.119(h). These procedures are required to specify the conditions of 
actual or potential joint failure for which railroad personnel must 
inspect, including, at a minimum, (i) loose, bent, or missing joint 
bolts; (ii) rail end batter or mismatch that contributes to instability 
of the joint; and (iii) evidence of excessive longitudinal rail 
movement in or near the joint, including, but not limited to: wide rail 
gap, defective joint bolts, disturbed ballast, surface deviations, gap 
between tie plates and rail, or displaced rail anchors. See Sec.  
213.119(h)(3).
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    \1\ All references in this notice to a section or other 
provision of a regulation are to a section, part, or other provision 
in 49 CFR, unless otherwise specified.
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Recent Incidents

    This section provides a brief summary of the circumstances 
surrounding two recent train derailments that appear to be related to 
joint bar failure in CWR. Information regarding these incidents is 
based on FRA and the respective railroad's preliminary findings to 
date. The probable causes and contributing factors, if any, have not 
yet been established. Therefore, nothing in this safety advisory is 
intended to attribute

[[Page 47487]]

a cause to these incidents, or place responsibility for these incidents 
on the acts or omissions of any person or entity.
    On May 17, 2013, at approximately 6:08 p.m., an eastbound Metro-
North Commuter Railroad (Metro-North) train derailed near Bridgeport, 
CT. A portion of the derailed train fouled the adjacent track and was 
struck by a westbound Metro-North commuter train. Sixty-nine people 
were reportedly injured and damages to the equipment and track amounted 
to several million dollars. At the accident, a pair of broken 
compromise joint bars was found. The National Transportation Safety 
Board is currently investigating the derailment and will ultimately 
determine the cause of the accident.
    On March 18, 2013, an empty Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) passenger 
train derailed in Forest Hill, Queens, NY. Four of the train's eight 
cars derailed while traveling 75 mph. The railroad's preliminary 
investigation determined the cause to be a broken joint bar.

Recommended Action

    Rail joints in CWR warrant special attention and maintenance. 
Adequate support (which includes good tie condition, sufficient 
ballast, and good drainage) is essential to preventing joint bar 
failure. FRA recommends that track owners and railroads:
    1. Review the requirements of their CWR plans and train employees 
responsible for inspecting CWR, with a focus on inspecting CWR track to 
identify conditions of actual or potential joint failure.
    2. Review current internal engineering instructions to ensure that 
the instructions contain the appropriate track maintenance instructions 
to remedy joint conditions that cause joint bars to fail and cause 
derailments.
    3. Follow good maintenance practices to ensure the joints are 
adequately supported, in addition to all of the requirements prescribed 
in Sec.  213.119. Ties under and adjacent to CWR joints must be capable 
of supporting the traffic loading. When spot tamping the joints by 
hand, joints should be raised at least 1 inch to ensure the ballast 
particles are properly tamped under the entire width of ties. If the 
tamping is conducted in hot weather without immediate mechanical track 
stabilization, as is the case with machine tamping, a speed restriction 
is required to reduce the risk of track buckling.
    4. Perform appropriate ballast maintenance to ensure proper track 
drainage for adequate tie support.
    5. Wherever possible, eliminate joints in CWR, especially 
compromise joints in passenger and hazardous materials routes.
    6. Reinforce with employees responsible for inspecting track the 
importance of the proper installation and maintenance of joints by 
ensuring that sufficient anchoring, ballast, and ties ensure the 
integrity of the joint. This is especially important around compromise 
joints, which by design typically have a suspended joint configuration.
    7. If joint bars (and particularly compromise joint bars) are found 
cracked or broken between the middle two bolt holes after a relatively 
short time after installation, determine the root cause that led to the 
premature failure of the joint bars and correct the deficiency.
    FRA strongly encourages railroads and track owners to take actions 
that are consistent with the preceding recommendations to help ensure 
the safety of the Nation's railroad employees and the public. FRA may 
modify Safety Advisory 2013-05, issue additional safety advisories, or 
take other appropriate actions it deems necessary to ensure the highest 
level of safety on the Nation's railroads, including pursuing other 
corrective measures under its rail safety authority.

Robert C. Lauby,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Regulatory and Legislative 
Operations.
[FR Doc. 2013-18787 Filed 8-2-13; 8:45 am]
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