WA lawmakers eye ban on 2-mile-long trains

Legislators in Olympia have advanced a bill to limit the length of freight trains.

The bill, approved by the House Transportation Committee Thursday afternoon, would prohibit most trains over 7,500 feet long. Trains up to 10,000 feet — nearly two miles — would require extra crew members and special approval from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.

Advocates say the move would reduce the danger of rail accidents.

The Norfolk Southern train that derailed and spilled hazardous chemicals on Feb. 3, sickening people in East Palestine, Ohio, was more than 9,300 feet long.

“I still don’t have an answer to the question if what happened in Ohio can happen here,” Rep. Debra Entenman (D–Kent) said at a hearing on Tuesday. “Sounds to me like the answer is yes, and I would like to prevent that.”

“In Western Washington, we’re seeing 10,000-plus-foot trains almost every day,” said Herb Krohn with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. “Longer trains are harder to control.”

Representatives of BNSF and Union Pacific railways testified against the bill, saying it would reduce energy efficiency and increase shipping costs.

“There’s no direct correlation between safety and the average length of a train,” Johan Hellman of BNSF Railway said.

The federal government is responsible for most regulation of trains, but there are no federal limits on train length.