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D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp received a response from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) after she called on the agency to release information on its inspections of the rail lines near Casselton. Four derailments have happened in this area in the last nine years.

In a letter to Heitkamp, the FRA highlighted its record of inspections, stating:

· From 2006 to 2013, track inspectors conducted an average of 3 switch observations per year directly related to all aspects of track safety on BNSF in Cass County.

· Overall in North Dakota, since 2006, FRA inspectors have conducted 3,822 track inspections. The agency has cited 13,141 defects and written 721 violations against BNSF.

Heitkamp is following up with the FRA to ask again if the area near Casselton is receiving special attention, given the history of derailments in the area. If the agency is not focused on this area, Heitkamp will reiterate that this area deserves an increased focus.

“It is good to know there have been routine inspections in Cass County, but it is clear that the Casselton area is in need of increased attention considering the number of derailments around the same area,” said Heitkamp. “Folks who live near these tracks have been through a lot, and deserve to know that the rails are under close examination and that FRA is doing everything to make sure North Dakotans aren’t at risk. At the upcoming Senate hearing on this topic – which I called for – I will press the FRA and other relevant agencies to make this area of track a priority.”

Shortly after the December train derailment near Casselton, North Dakota, Heitkamp asked Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) to hold a Senate hearing to take a deeper dive into how we can improve rail safety and better make sure our towns and communities are protected. The two are the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security which has jurisdiction over rail transportation safety. Heitkamp recently announced that this Senate Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine rail safety at which she will join the Subcommittee for the hearing and ask questions of the witnesses. The hearing was scheduled for last week, but was postponed due to weather. It will be rescheduled in the near future.

Since the Casselton derailment, Heitkamp has worked tirelessly to understand what happened, and push for improvements to rail safety. Last month, Heitkamp met with Fargo and Cass County officials in Fargo. She has also been working closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, as well as other federal, state, and local officials, and BNSF Railroad.