Decatur – Federal safety officials say progress has been slow in efforts to upgrade rupture prone railroad tankers transporting ethanol and oil.

The WAND News I-TEAM has reported on the tankers that have been in a string of fiery derailments in recent years.  Many of those tankers are a model called DOT 111’s which account for a large number of the nation’s rail tanker inventory.

National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt told the Associated Press on Tuesday that federal regulators need to set milestones to hold the industry accountable for getting unsafe cars off the tracks.

Figures provided by the Association of American Railroads indicate just over 10,000 stronger tank cars are available for service. 

That’s the equivalent to roughly one-fifth of the 51,500 tank cars used to haul crude and ethanol during the first quarter of 2016.  The NTSB says all of the older cars are prone to rupture.

Tom Simpson with the Railway Supply Institute says the industry is committed to putting stronger cars in place but demand has eased as shipments have decreased with lower oil prices.

(Pictured: DOT 111 tanker rolling through Decatur carrying ethanol.)