Federal investigators say a broken rail in the track was the probable cause of a fiery 2017 train derailment in northwest Iowa.
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The derailment happened on March 10th of last year, southeast of Graettinger, near a bridge over Jack Creek. Fourteen tanker cars spilled 322-thousand gallons of ethanol. The National Transportation Safety Board report cited Union Pacific for an “inadequate track maintenance and inspection program.”
Board chairman Robert Sumwalt recently convened a meeting in Washington, D.C. to discuss the investigation.

Sumwalt says Union Pacific undertook “an impressive” series of actions to address the condition of the track in the area of the derailment.

The train wreck destroyed a 152-foot-long railroad bridge and about 400 feet of track.