BALTIMORE (AP) -- Poor record keeping by Baltimore and CSX Corp. coupled with lack of communication between the city and the railroad worsened a dangerous situation when a freight train derailed in the Howard Street tunnel in 2001, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.
The NTSB made four safety recommendations, two each to Baltimore and CSX, including better exchange of information on maintenance and construction information in and around the tunnel.
The recommendations ``are designed to prevent accidents and save lives,'' the agency said. The board also requested that the city and the railroad respond to the agency within 90 days on how they intend to address the issues raised.
But the letters only touched on the suspected cause of the accident, which is the subject of litigation.
On July 18, 2001, 11 cars of a 60-car train, including tankers containing toxic acids, derailed inside the tunnel that runs under the city's central business district.
A tanker carrying tripropylene was punctured and the chemical caught fire. Around that same time, a 40-inch water main directly above the tunnel ruptured, sending water into the tunnel, collapsing several city streets and flooding nearby buildings.
The damage shut down the city for days, postponing baseball games, causing millions of dollars in damage to businesses and forcing the city to pay overtime for emergency crews and cleanup.
In July 2004, Baltimore sued CSX, charging the company was responsible the incident. The city is seeking $10 million for fighting the five-day fire and repairing a broken water main.
In letters to Baltimore and CSX, the NTSB said although it could not determine the cause of the accident, ``the most likely scenario that could have resulted in the derailment involved an obstruction between a car wheel and the rail, in combination with changes in track geometry.''
But the letters pointed to lack of critical information from both Baltimore city and CSX concerning the tunnel, including a partially repaired ``void'' in the tunnel's arch that ``neither CSX nor the city of Baltimore knew of or had documentation about when the void was first discovered or who had initiated the repair.''
Baltimore's emergency preparedness plans were found to be lacking, the report said, saying city documents do not have procedures for dealing with hazardous materials discharge in the Howard Street tunnel.
The NTSB urged Baltimore and CSX to ``enhance exchange of information ... on maintenance and construction activities within and in the vicinity of the Howard Street Tunnel.''
Baltimore was also urged to ``update and revise your emergency preparedness documents'' with information on hazardous materials discharge in tunnels, ``as well as infrastructure information on the Howard Street Tunnel.''
CSX was urged to ``maintain historical documentation of inspection and maintenance activities affecting the Howard Street Tunnel.''
Baltimore City Solicitor Ralph S. Tyler said Wednesday that the letters ``are important and helpful in the city's litigation against CSX.''
CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said in a prepared statement: ``One of the key lessons was the ability of the city and CSX to join in common cause to attack and resolve a situation with the public safety foremost in mind without regard for turf or other issues.''
