US safety board: Oil train tank cars need urgent upgrades

AZ Central: BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- Tank cars carrying oil or ethanol by rail urgently need to be retrofitted to make them more fire-resistant after a spate of explosive accidents in recent months revealed the shortcomings of industry-backed safety standards, U.S. officials said Monday.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a series of recommendations calling for the tank cars to be fitted with protective systems better able to withstand fire than the bare steel construction now widely in use.

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