How often do trains derail? Manatee County train derailment draws attention to alarming frequency

A train with six carriages, two of which were carrying propane, was derailed in Florida's Manatee County. As per the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, the incident took place on February 28 and no leaks, dangers, or injuries were reported.

While speaking with ABC News, Vice President of Seminole Gulf Railroad, Robert Fay, said that all six train carriages went off-track during the incident.

Five of the carriages were completely turned over, of which four were transporting sheetrock and one was a propane tanker. The sixth car, which also had propane, went off-track but stood upright. He added that there were no signs of fuel leakage.

According to Southern Manatee Fire Rescue, the crew is working to lift and turn the off-track carriages upright.

As per KSRO, they said:

"It's kind of a domino effect. The one car jumped the track and flipped, and that'll pull the next car, and so on and so on until the inertia stops enough that the last car just unbuckled."

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Over 1,000 train derailments take place every year

Screenshot of a Twitter user remarking on increased train incidents. (Image via Twitter)

Back-to-back horrific incidents of train derailments have sparked fear and concern among citizens due to the frequency of such events.

As per federal data, over 1,000 train accidents take place every year. In 2021, 1,627 train accidents occurred in the United States, which saw eight people dying and 118 being injured. These accidents involved both cargo and passenger trains.

According to data published by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the Federal Railroad Administration, between 1990 and 2021, an average of 1,705 train derailment incidents took place every year. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics documented that 2021 saw 1,087 train accidents. This means there were about three derailments per day, each month.

However, it is important to note that not every incident gets reported in the media since it doesn't involve death or harmful substances.

Screenshot of a Twitter user remarking on increased train incidents. (Image via Twitter)

Director of the University of Delaware’s Railway Engineering and Safety Program, Allan Zarembski, told news outlet Poynter that a derailment only gets reported if it causes damage over $12,000 to the track or train.

He said:

“It does not take a lot to generate $12,000 worth of damage to a locomotive or to a piece of track or even to a freight car.”

Several incidents of trains going off-track also take place in yards, he mentioned, where the damage gets estimated to be somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000. Damage that is estimated to be over $100,000 is considered a massive off-track incident in the locomotive industry.

This means that the incidents reported, especially that of the recent train accident in East Palestine, caused several million dollars of damage. As per the Federal Railroad Administration, the U.S. rail network is one of the largest railroads in the world.

ABC News reports that the incident in Florida is currently being investigated by the Florida Department of Transportation.