FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Despite public concern, expert warnings and a Local 10 News investigation exposing hazardous rail tankers parked just beyond the perimeter of a major commercial runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the railway says it has no plans to modify its operations.
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That’s the update from the Broward County Aviation Department, which contacted the company following our report. In an email sent to Local 10 News, Celina Saucedo, Aviation Chief Administrative Officer, wrote:
“Following the airing of your story, the Broward County Aviation Department contacted an FEC representative to confirm if company officials had seen the Ch-10 report. During the discussion, the FEC representative indicated that there were no upcoming changes to its current protocol of staging railway cars near FLL.”
“Since FEC owns and operates the rail lines and cars staged near FLL, we recommend that you reach out to a company representative again for any updates regarding its procedures.”
We’ve done exactly that — multiple times. We’ve reached out to Florida East Coast Railway repeatedly, both before and after our story aired. They have not responded. Not a single reply. No answers. No acknowledgment.
Local 10 News first reported on this issue after discovering a line of rail tankers — some labeled UN1987, which identifies flammable liquids — parked directly in line with Runway 10L/28R, FLL’s northern runway. The tankers sit along tracks just east of the airport, in an area where departing and arriving aircraft pass overhead at low altitude.
“These tankers don’t belong anywhere near a runway approach path,” said Ched Keiler, a concerned citizen who first brought the issue to WPLG’s attention. “If something were to happen — a derailment, a spark, a mechanical failure — you could be talking about a major disaster.”
Even empty hazardous material tankers can pose a risk. Vapors left inside can ignite. In some cases, experts say, they can be more dangerous than if the tankers were full.
FEC has parked and stored rail tankers there for years. Local 10 News has learned that airport officials have expressed concerns, but FEC has ignored them.
We showed the situation to Dr. Bob Baron, an aviation safety expert and risk management consultant who’s also a licensed pilot. He has flown in and out of FLL himself.
Dr. Baron said, “It’s the worst possible place to store those train cars.” He added, “That can hamper rescue efforts.”
He also noted, “We are looking at proactive safety here. We want to avoid this being something we look at and say, ‘You know, we should have done better... we should have been more aggressive to get trains away from there.’ It’s just not a good location for the trains.”
Broward County Mayor Beam Furr, who represents the district where the airport is located, initially responded to our outreach and said he would look into the matter. Since then: nothing.
Commissioner Steve Geller, who usually has a lot to say about issues in Broward, also acknowledged the issue early on but has since gone silent. He said he would look into it — then ghosted us when we asked what he had discovered.
The Federal Aviation Administration says they have no jurisdiction over the tracks.
The Federal Railway Administration doesn’t track rail cars in real time, doesn’t know what’s inside them and claims the FEC is not violating safety regulations.