2015 Galena train derailment

Galena train derailment

Date	6 March, 2015
Location	Galena, Illinois
Country	United States
Rail line	BNSF Railway
Statistics
Damage	21 rail cars and crude oil contained within burned

The 2015 Galena train derailment was a derailment of a BNSF Railway oil train in a rural area near Galena, Illinois, which occurred on March 6, 2015.

Accident

Twenty-one of the 105 tank cars, containing Bakken formation crude oil from North Dakota, left the track during the derailment. No injuries were reported as a result of the accident.^[1] The derailment occurred near Galena, Illinois, along the Galena River, near the rivers confluence with the Mississippi River. Health officials warned of "imminent" contamination of these rivers, but tests have not found oil pollution in them.^[2]

The accident occurred in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, near the state border of Wisconsin. Of the 21 rail cars that derailed, 5 caught fire, and burned for over 2 full days after the accident.^[3] Immediately following the accident, local authorities initiated a voluntary evacuation of communities in the immediate area.^[4]

References

1. "Illinois oil train derailment involved safer tank cars". Yahoo! News. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
2. "Galena train-derailment recovery nearly complete". Quad-City Times. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
3. "Galena train-derailment recovery nearly complete". NBC News. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
4. "Evacuation put in place after train derails near Galena, Illinois". Tribune Broadcasting. WQAD-TV. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.