[theluckycountry]

Lets move onto the rail network shall we, and I'll add the following little twist.

Train Derailment In Illinois Prompts Emergency "Long-Term Evacuation"

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'E')vacuations are currently underway in Matteson, Illinois, following a freight train derailment on Thursday morning. Canadian National confirmed that around 20 cars were hauling "various substances" derailed Thursday morning around 1030 local time. Importantly, there were no immediate reports of fires or injuries at the site, but officials did say there is a suspected leak from the derailed cars.

[Newfie]

The regulations which required axel inspection (hot box detectors) were apparently relaxed some years ago. So rather than improving moving train automated inspection they lobbied to get rid of it.

The failure thus appears to be regulatory and perhaps corruption.

[theluckycountry]

Poorly maintained track is responsible for many derailments.

--An Amtrak derailment near Joplin, Mont., that also injured dozens was caused by poorly-maintained tracks that should have been inspected and replaced, the National Transportation Safety Board​ said.
NTSB investigators said a combination of factors, including worn rail, vertical track deflection, subgrade instability and track misalignment, led to the derailment.


$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'b')y Saul Elbein - 02/18/23

Houston is the capital of the nation’s petroleum industry, part of a sprawling crescent of refineries, crackers, factories and liquefaction plants stretching from Baytown, Texas, to the Mississippi River industrial corridor in Louisiana — sometimes called Cancer Alley. And Detroit — the once-and-future heartland of American automotive manufacturing — is now a rising hub of electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, a suite of high technologies whose exotic chemistries depend on hazardous materials.

For example, liquid chlorine — carried in the train that derailed in Detroit — is an essential component in wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicle batteries, according to the Chlorine Institute. The crashes in both regions — one a rising hub of clean energy, the other of fossil fuels — underscored the risk posed by hazardous materials moving through the nation’s towns and cities. That is a risk that is often invisible until, suddenly, it explodes.

Since 2015, the U.S. rail system has been responsible for 106 derailments in which hazardous materials were released, according to Federal Railway Administration data analyzed by The Hill.

[Shaved Monkey]

In Australia you usually see infrastructure spending when the slightly less conservative government is in power
They then get accused of not balancing the books by the right wing media and extreme conservative opposition
Who then get in power and dont fix infrastructure and brag about how well they balance the books and there should be more tax cuts for the rich....leaving even less money for infrastructure for future governments

Rinse and repeat

[theluckycountry]

Congress nearing deal on Key Bridge funding legislation

Congress is inching closer to fully funding the replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/08/16 ... en-cardin/

The cost of capital, money being diverted from infrastructure to fund food stamps and wars. D+ is the score the American institute of engineers give for the nation's infrastructure.

[theluckycountry]

FBI Agents Board Sister-Ship Of Dali Involved In Baltimore Bridge Disaster

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'E')arly Saturday morning, Washington Post journalists observed FBI agents boarding the massive container ship Maersk Saltoro at a marine terminal in Baltimore City. The vessel is managed by the same parent company as the Dali, which toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this year. The journalists described the FBI operation as a "court-authorized law enforcement activity."

This comes just days after the Justice Department slapped Dali's owner, Grace Ocean Private Limited, and operator, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., with a $100 million new civil claim over salvage efforts to clear the critical waterway and reopen the harbor after the Dali paralyzed the port by toppling the bridge in late March.

In the new civil claim, the Justice Department said, "This tragedy was entirely avoidable. The electrical and mechanical systems on the DALI were improperly maintained and configured in a way that violated safety regulations and norms for international shipping. These problems precipitated a power loss and then a cascading series of failures that culminated in the collision."

The complaint continued, "As events unfolded, and because of the unseaworthy condition of the ship, none of the four means available to help control the DALI—her propeller, rudder, anchor, or bow thruster—worked when they were needed to avert or even mitigate this disaster. Mechanical and electrical systems on the massive container ship had been 'jerry-rigged' and improperly maintained, culminating in a horrific power outage moments before it crashed into a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March. Six construction workers were killed when the bridge plunged into the water."

Although it's unclear what the FBI agents were searching for this morning, we've previously highlighted that federal authorities should begin vetting the crews of foreign vessels navigating US waterways. This alone represents a serious national security threat. (from ZHedge version)

[Tanada]

Why is the FBI jumping on the Coast Guard's area of responsibility?

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'W')hy is the FBI jumping on the Coast Guard's area of responsibility?

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'W')hy is the FBI jumping on the Coast Guard's area of responsibility?

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', '
')Not true, they have both experience at ship inspection that being one of their major jobs and a dedicated criminal complaints division.

[theluckycountry]

A Building In Beirut Collapses In Its Own Footprint, clearly the result of shoddy building practices being corrected but the arabs are trying to blame Israel for it. It's obviously a controlled demolition, why else would the camera be zoomed in and steady on the building just before the detonation.
Long Live Israel!

https://x.com/WarMonitors/status/1848708993805398386

[theluckycountry]

"Needs To Be Torn Down": LA Fire Stations Are In Total Disrepair
https://www.thefp.com/p/los-angeles-fir ... d-sickness

You look at the buildings and you get the impression they were built 60~70 years ago, which is probably why they are still standing! Built at the height of the Oil Age, built with no expense spared. There are no doubt many younger ones, built further out in the suburbs, built as suburban sprawl made its way across the hills and valleys of the region. How long will the newer ones last is anyone's guess but they will suffer the same fate, lack of funds to maintain them (lack of energy)

It's just one more infrastructure set to add to the long long list of what's collapsing from our heydays. From the days when people worked hard for reasonable wages and weren't choked by regulations. From the days when oil and electricity were both cheap and underwrote all the expansions. My local supermarket is a 100 year old timber building. A little creaky in places but sound. The big reinforced concrete and brick one built in 1970 in my home suburb of Brisbane is in much better shape and the ones they build now are not bad either. They are roomier inside and typically made of quality steel and concrete panels.

But supermarkets are a different matter altogether, because they pay for themselves over and over out of the ongoing profits. There are no profits from fire stations, bridges and typical roads.

[theluckycountry]

The new bridge was expected to open by October 2028; however, in November 2025, officials updated the scheduled opening to late 2030. So 6 years and counting, a long time to wait, should have contracted the Chinese.