The Federal Railroad Administration has shut down a railroad operating between Blackwell, OK, and Wellington, KS over what it calls a “complete disregard for the safety of the public.”

 The FRA has ordered the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad to discontinue operations of all trains on all tracks it owns including the line between Blackwell and Wellington.

The FRA began investigating BNGR following a derailment in December 2023 and found that the company has not taken any action to correct the safety issues indetified by the agency. The safety issues include allowing trains to be operated by people not qualified as engineers, not maintaining track safety records, and having employees falisify records and documents.

The FRA order will remain in effect until BNGR submits a written plan to improve safety.