Economy

Denver and the West

Oil trains raise alarm for Denver residents in growing neighborhoods

Advocates and some City Council members worry about danger posed by sharp increase in railroad traffic of flammable liquids

By Jon Murray
The Denver Post
303-954-1405
jmurray@denverpost.com
@JonMurray

Posted: 12/01/2015 04:05:44 PM MST
Updated: 12/02/2015 01:36:35 AM MST

Peering through four panes of insulating glass, it's not the noise that bothers Don Cohen as a daily parade of freight trains passes 50 feet outside his condo. He and some Riverfront Park neighbors are troubled by what they're seeing on the tracks more frequently. Tanker trains carrying crude oil and other flammable liquids — reflecting a shift in energy trends — rumble past the gleaming high-rise condo and apartment buildings several times a week, he says.

Those tankers pass near other Denver neighborhoods, too, old and new, upscale and hardscrabble. Highways and railroads box in some areas, with only one way out if disaster were to strike.

The trains also travel near the city's major sports venues and Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park, raising fears among some about what might happen in a fiery derailment or other accident — however small the chances might be.

Appeals by Cohen and others to city officials for increased emergency planning have met with mixed success. ... The issue prompted a rare budget amendment dispute in early November between Mayor Michael Hancock and a majority of the City Council, led by at-large member Debbie Ortega. Hancock rejected their amendment to fund a $250,000 outside safety study. Instead, he ordered up a working group, led by Fire Chief Eric Tade, that by July 1 will examine what more the city might do to reduce risks.
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Jon Murray: 303-954-1405, jmurray@denverpost.com or @JonMurray