The Department of Energy recently sold 52 gondola cars that were used at the Savannah River Site for a cleanup project that began in 2009 and ended in 2011.
The Department of Energy recently sold 52 gondola cars that were used at the Savannah River Site for a cleanup project that began in 2009 and ended in 2011.

AIKEN, S.C. – EM’s Savannah River Site (SRS) sold 52 no-longer-needed special purpose railroad cars to an environmental cleanup company, a transaction that benefitted the U.S Treasury and enabled the site to avoid years of maintenance costs.

The 100-ton, top-loaded gondola railcars, initially purchased to support the now-closed Fernald site in southwest Ohio, were transferred to SRS in 2009 to support an environmental cleanup project that was completed two years later.

“This is a good example of proper stewardship and cost-effective use of government resources identified as surplus,” said Clarence Ruff, DOE-Savannah River traffic management specialist. “These gondola cars served an important purpose — at both Fernald and Savannah River — and have an estimated 20-plus years of service life remaining. Since a need for them no longer exists at SRS, reutilizing them with a company specializing in environmental restoration makes for a practical business solution.”

The specially constructed boxcars have transported low-level contaminated materials for decades, first at a former uranium processing plant near Cincinnati, Ohio, and then at the Savannah River Site.
The specially constructed boxcars have transported low-level contaminated materials for decades, first at a former uranium processing plant near Cincinnati, Ohio, and then at the Savannah River Site.

SRS followed government procedure for the disposition of surplus property. In the end, the rail cars were sold to EnergySolutions for $350,000 in a competitive bid process. The proceeds were forwarded to the U.S. Treasury.

Ruff noted that EnergySolutions, an international nuclear services company based in Salt Lake City, has the expertise and resources to dispose of the cars safely and properly when they reach the end of their useful service, a significant cost avoidance for DOE.

A team of workers reporting to SRS contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions were assigned to ensure the gondola cars met all U.S. Department of Transportation standards and regulations before being transported to Utah.

The last of the cars will soon leave SRS for the EnergySolutions facility in Clive, Utah, to continue their useful role in cleaning up environmental contamination throughout the U.S.