NTSB determines 2023 train derailment over I-25 near Pueblo likely caused by broken rail & failed weld

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - On October 15, 2023, a southbound BNSF Railway (BNSF) freight train derailed 31 hopper cars loaded with coal and struck a bridge over I-25, just north of Pueblo.

Train cars fell to the interstate below and killed a truck driver who was passing under the bridge at the time of the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a new report stating that it has determined the probable cause of the derailment was the train "encountering a rail break that occurred when a mismatched thermite weld failed." The report goes on to say that the thermite weld cracked near the rail’s base because the welder, for unknown reasons, likely did not use a compromise kit during the welding as is required by BNSF Railway procedures.

The report says that in response to the accident, BNSF adopted a policy of analyzing every failed weld to determine why they failed. If welding practices contributed to the failure, the responsible team is retrained. Additionally, briefing materials have been distributed to employees who weld rails to emphasize the importance of proper kit selection. BNSF also enhanced welding oversight by implementing mandatory audits conducted by welding supervisors. Each supervisor audits 10 random thermite welds per month to confirm that the correct kit was used, the report said.

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