WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. officials say companies need to come up with safer ways to transport oil on the nation's rail lines following some explosive accidents as crude trains proliferate across North America.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx met with oil and railroad executives on Thursday in Washington, D.C. He said industry representatives agreed to analyze the risks posed by oil trains and to consider speed reductions along routes that pose the biggest safety threat.
The Obama administration is under increased pressure to take action after fiery accidents over the past seven months in North Dakota, Alabama, Quebec and New Brunswick. Fears of another accident have been voiced in cities and towns across the U.S. and Canada.
The changes proposed Thursday are all voluntary.