Wisconsin’s railroad commissioner says his office could use more staff to inspect the state’s more than 4,500 rail crossings and 3,000 miles of track.
Commissioner Jeff Plale said the state has one full-time and one temporary employee to monitor rails.
“It would be helpful to have additional people out in the field to cover these crossings, because as good as I think we are, we certainly can’t know everything,” he said.
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According to Plale, the additional staff is needed because freight volumes and traffic are increasing in Wisconsin. He said the state needs to be prepared for an oil train derailment as more crude oil moves across the state.
Around 30 to 40 oil trains regularly pass through Wisconsin communities, according to documents from several railroads filed with the state. Each train typically has about 100 cars that carry more than a million gallons of crude.
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