Trains resume operating at site of Welsh oil train fire

摘要

TRAINS are once again running through Llangennech in south Wales, six months after an oil train fire caused extensive damage to the railway and the surrounding land. Freight began operating on March 5. Transport for Wales passenger services restarted three days later, albeit with a reduced timetable due to the pandemic. It was on August 26 2020 when the 2152 Robeston-Theale oil train, operated by DB Cargo UK, derailed at 2317 at Morlais Junction (RAIL 913). The train was formed of 25 bogie tank wagons, each carrying up to 75 tons of diesel or gas oil for Puma Energy. Some 350,000 litres of diesel spilled into the ground, causing major concerns for the surrounding wildlife and waterways. Network Rail has confirmed that 30,000 tonnes of contaminated soil have since been excavated from 150 metres of railway, some of it up to two metres deep and 20 metres wide. This has been replaced by new, clean material from quarries in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, while the contaminated soil was taken to a specialist waste management facility in Merthyr Tydfil.