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Oil Transportation Through Century-Old Tunnels Poses Threat to Seattle

© Sputnik / O. Ivanov / Go to the mediabankA view of the night Seattle.
A view of the night Seattle. - Sputnik International
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Local media reported that in a case of a fire, much of downtown Seattle will be evacuated, as the tunnels and especially Seattle's 1905 tunnel, do not meet the modern safety standards.

MOSCOW, November 25 (Sputnik) — A significant increase in the amount of oil being transported through century-old tunnels underneath the city of Seattle, Washington poses a significant threat to public safety, Seattle City Council said.

"Seattle bears great risk to public safety, health, and the environment from increased oil transport by rail," said the letter from the Seattle City Council to the Washington State Department of Ecology released Monday.

According to Seattle's Assistant Fire Chief Alan Vickery, the increase in the amount of oil transported by rail through the tunnels is creating a risk Seattle has never faced before. "We'll treat it just like gasoline," Vickery said as quoted by the local news website Komonews.com.

Local media reported that in the extremely unlikely case of a catastrophic fire, much of downtown Seattle will be evacuated, as the tunnels and especially Seattle's 1905 tunnel, also known as Great Northern Tunnel, do not meet the modern safety standards such as emergency fire suppression systems or emergency communications systems.

"An oil train accident that results in fire, explosion and/or spill in Seattle would be catastrophic for our community in terms of risk to life, property, and the environment. Such an event would also pose considerable risk to emergency first responders," the Seattle City Council said.

To address the problem, the second-largest freight railroad network in North America, BNSF Railway, has spent $10 million on tunnel upgrades including building new tracks and safer tanker cars. The company has also introduced stricter tunnel speed limits and helped fund specialized training for firefighters.

On July 24, three tanker cars derailed under the Seattle Magnolia Bridge. While the accident did not result in any injuries or an oil spill, it drew public attention to the safety issues surrounding oil transportation in Seattle.

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