Freight trains in the US can be kilometres long
Getty Images Source: Moment RF
Freight trains are getting longer in the US. Thousands of such trains, often more than a kilometre long, run safely every day. But a recent derailment and resulting chemical spill in Ohio has raised questions about whether longer trains are at a higher risk of derailing.
In the first five weeks of 2023 leading up to the derailment, more than 1 million train carloads of coal, chemicals, minerals, grain, automobiles and petroleum successfully rode the railroads crisscrossing every state except Hawaii.
All …