Are these deliberate or just failing infrastructure?
In 2013 there were 1311 derailments...2022 there were 1,049
However, the stats don’t state the severity of these derailments.
“Are these deliberate or just failing infrastructure?”
I think it is a result of DIE programs in which the most lazy and incompetent are hired rather than the more qualified and experienced candidates.
Also, I wonder is less is being shipped by rail:
“And, perhaps more concerning, the number of hazmat incidents involving trucks is on the rise — from a low of 13,888 to more than 23,000 last year — an increase of 67%.
Some dangerous chemicals will always be transported by truck, even if it’s just for the “last mile” of delivery. Trains don’t run everywhere, after all. But the data seems to suggest that keeping hazardous materials off the road and on train tracks may be the safest bet.”
Well i think there are 100,000 railroad workers now and there was a million in the 80’s. Still i think it’s sabotage. They run maintenance stuff along the line continuously. And i’ve seen the presidents car going by.
There are train derailments EVERY DAY.
Hundreds every month.
Most do not get reported. It is mostly due to failing infrastructure. They are hundreds of thousands of miles of rail track in the USA & Canada. Millions of railroad ties.
Railroad ties are made of pressure treated wood. The wood rots eventually.
Same thing with bridges/overpasses, etc. The railroads are constantly repairing them. Unless they are planning on closing the spur.
For example, I buy lumber out of mills in central Idaho along the Clearwater River. Up stream from Lewiston, ID on fifteen years ago for the SCRAP value of the IRON. However, the guy who bought it decided to keep it running for about five years because the revenue he got from hauling lumber cars down to Lewiston. Eventually, the government closed it because the overpasses became unsafe. They drove that train about 10 MPH too. Really slow. They closed it a few years ago. The cost to repair exceeded the revenue. It is a rail trail now.