WASHINGTON — Sixteen tank cars, 15 of them carrying hazardous materials, derailed in the Montana Rail Link incident involving the Reed Point bridge collapse on June 24, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on the incident released on Monday.
The NTSB’s investigation is only considering the performance of DOT-111 tank cars in the derailment, and therefore does not address the question whether the derailment caused the bridge collapse or the reverse. The Federal Railroad Administration is leading other aspects of the investigation.
The preliminary report, which sets out basic facts of the incident, says the 55-car train, including 47 loaded cars, was crossing the bridge over the Yellowstone River at 38 mph when the derailment occurred. Sixteen tank cars, in positions 36 through 52, derailed. Ten of those cars ended up in the water, including nine carrying hazardous materials; all nine of those cars were DOT-111 cars. Cars carrying molten sulfur and asphalt petroleum liquid were mechanically breached and released into the river; two cars with sodium hydrosulfide derailed but did not release.
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