Railroad Derailment Emergency Moves

Section 554 Section 554.803  Railroad Derailment Emergency Moves Emergency moves of vehicles or loads to railroad derailments may be authorized for movement over State highways during periods when normal permits are restricted, provided: a)         There is a loss of life threatened, hazardous materials are involved, a mainline or other major line is blocked, and the Department is notified of the incident no more than six hours after it has occurred.  If more than six hours have elapsed before the Department is advised, the situation is not generally considered to be of an emergency nature. b)         During normal working hours, the emergency services company must obtain a standard permit by contacting 217/785-1477, Extension 1, outside of Illinois or 800/252-8636, Extension 1, within Illinois.  If the incident occurs when the Permit Office is not open, the railroad representative and the requested emergency services company must contact the Department's Communications Center at 217/782-2937 within six hours after the time of occurrence to request the move and provide details.  The required information that must normally be provided before authorization will be granted includes the exact location of the incident, the time of occurrence, the number of cars involved, an exact listing of the commodities contained in each car, the description of equipment needed, the origin and requested routing of the move.  If loss of life is threatened or a highway is blocked, the Permit Office may waive the immediate need for some of this information. c)         After receipt and verification of the required information, the Department representative will check the requested routing to ensure it will safely accommodate the load.  If the authorization is approved, a permit will then be issued by telephone and a Teletype message will be sent to the Illinois State Police. The Department's Communications Center will also advise the State Emergency Management Agency of the incident and the commodities involved.  In order to obtain an authorization for movement at night or on weekends, the permittee must have received prior Permit Office approval of their escort and emergency lighting protection or have approval from the Illinois State Police that they will escort the move. d)         That, due to the physical capacity of the highways, the proposed moves are 12 feet or less in width, 13 feet 6 inches or less in height, and do not exceed the practical maximum weights listed in Section 554.604. e)         That insofar as practicable, all safety precautions and operational conditions normally imposed by the Permit Office for special movement be observed. f)         If traveling conditions on the involved highways are considered hazardous due to weather, the Department will contact the Illinois State Police and, if necessary, hold the authorization until the highways are sufficiently clear to allow safe movement.  While the provision may result in some delay, it is the Department's responsibility to ensure the presence of these oversize and overweight movements on the highway does not unduly endanger other motorists. g)         After release of the authorization, the permit fee will be charged to the emergency service company's account or be processed for billing. h)         That annual permits are available to move oversize or overweight equipment to the sites of train derailments and shall include all equipment otherwise eligible to obtain single trip permits under normal situations. Annual permits can be used at any time for movement to the site of a train derailment. (Section 15-308.1 of the Code)