The Federal Railroad Administration has shut down operations of a rail line between Blackwell, Oklahoma and Wellington, Kansas. The agency has been looking into the operations of the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad.
The agency began an investigation after a derailment on December 27th, 2023. The agency said in an emergency order that “FRA is aware of several serious incidents that have occurred following the change in BNGR ownership, including two derailments and a highly dangerous movement of on-track equipment through an unprotected highway-rail grade crossing, narrowly missing a collision with a passenger vehicle.” The near-miss happened in late January at a crossing in Blackwell.
The report said “BNGR has created a public safety emergency through a willful failure to undertake basic responsibilities such as track inspection and training for safety-related railroad employees in combination with the deliberate actions of one or more individuals in positions of authority at this railroad.”
The agency also accuses the railroad of falsifying records on the derailments.
