Derailment after derailment. They just keep happening.

Since early February, there have been at least four train derailments in North America carrying crude from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale. These accidents have sparked increased calls from citizens, the rail industry and lawmakers for the federal government to increase safety regulations.

To keep up with these incidents, PublicSource will provide a roundup of stories every week.

We now know what caused the West Virginia derailment: a broken rail on the tracks. A federal report out this week identified the cause of the crash and also found major issues with the tank cars, according to McClatchy .

Rail defect, tank car valves implicated in West Virginia oil train fire

A mayor in Washington state plans to spend a week camping by railroad tracks to record the frequency of crude oil trains traveling through his city, according to Camas-Washougal Post-Record.

Washougal mayor to camp by the railroad tracks

In one of its first efforts to do so, the feds map out what a crude oil train crash might look like in a major city, according toThe Wall Street Journal.

Disaster Plans for Oil Trains

Harrisburg city council members want the federal government to require improvements for tank cars carrying crude oil and want Pennsylvania state emergency response officials to help better prepare local emergency responders for a potential crash, according to Lancaster Online.

Harrisburg City Council passes resolution calling for safety of oil trains ​

Reach Natasha Khan at 412-315-0261 or nkhan@publicsource.org. Follow her on Twitter @khantasha.

Help us continue telling stories like this one.

We’re Pittsburgh’s Public Source, an independent, nonprofit newsroom. That means we rely on donations from readers like you to help us report accurate, timely and impactful stories for the Pittsburgh region — available to everyone without paywalls.

Everyone deserves access to credible information to understand and help shape the region they call home, which is why we work hard everyday to deliver fact-checked stories on education, environment, health, local government and more.

We've seen our journalism prompt widespread change in the Pittsburgh region — but none of it would be possible without the support of our community. If you found this story valuable, consider "paying it forward" by making a gift today.

GIVE NOW

MOST READ STORIES

Natasha is director of audience & visuals strategy at Pittsburgh's Public Source. She runs the organization's audience and visual team. She manages social media, the website, brand strategy and works...