Belmont: Chlorine cars are on the way

Belmont will indeed be the home of 4,500 tons of liquid chlorine.

After receiving approval from several federal agencies, Canexus of Vancouver, British Columbia, is going ahead with its plans to park 50 railroad tanker cars filled with liquid chlorine on the siding track at Belmont.

The Washington and Idaho Railway will store the cars for Canexus as a security precaution during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Early next month, a fence will be built around the future site of the cars at Belmont.

Tank cars built to store the chlorine have been parked on sidings along the line. The cars will be pulled to Vancouver, loaded with the chlorine and brought back to Belmont, likely by Feb. 4.

The plan for storing the chlorine cars in Belmont prompted an outcry from the residents of the small community between Oakesdale and Garfield. Residents worried about the possible danger if the tanks began to leak.

Railroad officials insisted the cars, which have been newly built with double steel walls, will be safe. They will be enclosed in a fenced area and guarded around the clock.

“We’ve had to jump through EPA hoops, TSA hoops, FRA hoops – these cars have been inspected and inspected and inspected,” explained Karl Nelson, general manager of the Washington and Idaho Railway.

The railroad originally planned to hire a staff of security guards, but now plans to hire a Spokane private security firm as a contractor to provide the security service.

Canexus officials last month held a training session with local first emergency responders to train them on how to react to a possible chlorine leak.

The plan for now is to keep the cars at Belmont through the summer, but they may stay long-term. Canexus is building a new plant in Vancouver and may need the extra space provided by the Belmont tracks in the future.

Nelson said the railroad will upgrade the fence in that event.

He added the storage cars will be an important part of the railroad’s revenue.

The Washington and Idaho Railway leases the railroad from the state and has been storing unused cars – primarily log cars that have been in low-demand during the recession - on the track to generate revenue.

Nelson said rent from the Canexus cars will be important to ensuring the W&I can maintain service on the line. The state bought the railroad in 2005 to prevent it from being removed and sold for scrap.