Train Derailments

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When Railroad Workers Get Hurt on the Job, Some Supervisors Go to Extremes to Keep It Quiet

When questioned by federal officials or faced with an accident, the nation’s powerful freight railroad companies say they are among the safest employers in America and tout their injury records to prove it.

https://www.propublica.org/article/railroad-worker-injuries-union-pacific-csx-cn-norfolk-southern?

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The Koch Network Is Killing Rail Safety

One year after a toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, inspired bipartisan legislation that would have made the nation’s railways safer for everyone, the bill has been all but killed — largely thanks to a familiar conservative foe: the Koch network.

https://www.levernews.com/the-koch-network-is-killing-rail-safety/?

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What’s Missing From Railroad Safety Data? Dead Workers and Severed Limbs.

On a hot July afternoon in 2018, Gregory West found himself trudging through the mountains of northern Tennessee on what would be the last walk of his life.

https://www.propublica.org/article/railroad-safety-data-missing-dead-workers-severed-limbs?

“It Looks Like the Railroad Is Asking for You to Say Thank You”

Chris Cole lay on his back in the gravel beside the railroad tracks, staring up at the overcast sky above Godfrey, Illinois. He could not see below his waist — a co-worker had thrown himself over Cole’s body to spare him the sight, although the man couldn’t keep himself from repeating: “Oh my god, Chris. Oh my god.” So, instead of looking down where his legs and feet should have been, Cole looked up. What’s going to happen to my family? he remembered thinking.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trains-railroad-kcs-kansas-city-southern-injuries-lawsuit?

As Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossings Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to School

Jeremiah Johnson couldn’t convince his mother to let him wear a suit, so he insisted on wearing his striped tie and matching pocket square. It was picture day and the third grader wanted to get to school on time. But as he and his mom walked from their Hammond, Indiana, home on a cold, rainy fall morning, they confronted an obstacle they’d come to dread:

https://www.propublica.org/article/trains-crossing-blocked-kids-norfolk-southern?

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Norfolk Southern agrees to $600M settlement in fiery Ohio derailment. Locals fear it’s not enough

Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement for a fiery February 2023 train derailment in Ohio, but residents worry the money not only won’t go far enough to cover future health needs that could be tremendous but also won’t amount to much once divvied up.

https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-ohio-bd020560b01f5cb58bb6e15072ca97a1?

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Norfolk Southern will pay $15 million fine as part of federal settlement over Ohio derailment

The federal government agreed to a $15 million fine for Norfolk Southern over last year’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and the railroad promised to pay more than $500 million to complete the efforts to improve safety that it announced after the crash and address community health concerns.

https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-east-palestine-derailment-federal-settlement-7d17ffc3f3f5763c0306cf10e2012713?

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New Data: Longer Trains Raise Derailment Risk, But Regs Are Stalled

Months after railroad lobbyists pressured the Biden administration to brush off rail workers’ demand for safety limits on train length, new data show longer freight trains are significantly increasing the risk of derailments across the country.

https://www.levernews.com/new-data-longer-trains-raise-derailment-risk-but-regs-are-stalled/?

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🚂 A bipartisan move on rail safety (maybe)

By Stephen Neukam and Stef W. Kight

Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) at a Capitol Hill hearing last year. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Trump VP hopeful J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and vulnerable Democrat Sherrod Brown also of Ohio are teaming up to pressure Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and skeptical Republicans to pass a rail safety measure. 📃 A damning new federal report on last year's disastrous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, is lending fresh urgency to a meaty, bipartisan piece of legislation — even in the heat of an election year, 🤺 The bill would directly impact Ohio and Pennsylvania — key 2024 battleground states — and has made odd bedfellows of two senators facing potential career-changing political moments: Brown, one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators this cycle, has been pressuring Schumer (D-N.Y.) to find a way to get the bill to the floor, convinced the votes are there. 🏃🏽 Vance, on the short list to be Trump's running mate, plans to use the new report to persuade Republican colleagues and shore up the at least 10 GOP backers needed for passage. 🤔 The intrigue: The bill's passage could boost Brown's re-election campaign against Republican Bernie Moreno. It also would lend a hand to Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who has been involved in the push for the legislation and is up for re-election against Republican Dave McCormick. Whether Senate Republicans would help two Democrats in competitive election-year races is in question. The National Transportation Safety Board said this week that an overheated wheel bearing caused the derailment in East Palestine. The bill would enhance safety measures for trains carrying hazardous materials and establish requirements for the type of defect detectors the NTSB said could've prevented the disaster. 🚧 A lack of Republican support for the bill has been a major roadblock. Senators such as Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and John Thune (R-S.D.) were notable critics last year. Read more

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Hidden report reveals how workers got sick while cleaning up Ohio derailment site

The creeks around East Palestine, Ohio, were so badly contaminated by last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment that some workers became sick during the cleanup.

https://apnews.com/article/east-palestine-ohio-railroad-train-wreck-epa-f2cf628d79c47e265539e98032390f3f?

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How Deluzio Became An Enemy of Big Rail

Born and raised in the district he now represents, Deluzio, 40, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served with a civil affairs unit in Iraq before returning home to work as a cybersecurity policy expert at the University of Pittsburgh. Inspired by the lessons he learned during his time in uniform — namely, you “don’t leave people behind” — Deluzio ran successfully for Congress in the 2022 cycle. Since then, he’s called out consolidation and price gouging in sectors from groceries to baby formula, attacked junk fees from food delivery apps and online ticket platforms, and worked to keep manufacturing jobs in the United States with his “Make Stuff Here” campaign. 

https://www.levernews.com/the-democrat-who-defied-the-trump-wave/?

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Trump Inauguration Official’s “Phony Charity” Allegedly Pocketed East Palestine Train Disaster Funds

To help plan the inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump’s team tapped a man who was on the board of a charity accused by the Ohio attorney general of pocketing money it claimed to be collecting for victims of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

https://theintercept.com/2025/01/19/trump-inauguration-pat-lee-east-palestine-ohio-charity/?

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Residents ordered to pay $850,000 bond to appeal Ohio derailment settlement vow not to give up

Residents challenging Norfolk Southern’s $600 million settlement for the disastrous East Palestinetrain crash have asked a court to reject a judge’s order requiring them to put up an $850,000 bond to continue their appeal for higher compensation and more information about the contamination.

https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-settlement-8e984323f9a3eec9c3a6077411fca066?

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Norfolk Southern and East Palestine announce $22 million settlement after 2023 derailment

East Palestine and Norfolk Southern have announced a $22 million settlement resolving all of the village’s claims arising from the disastrous 2023 train derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border that prompted a national reckoning on railroad safety.

https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-east-palestine-settlement-ce5af7aad2725a721ac4bc1d51667077?

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🚆 Where’s the rail safety bill? Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of the East Palestine train derailment, and Congress still hasn’t passed the rail safety legislation. Since then, the legislation’s sponsor JD Vance has been elected vice president (which isn’t necessarily a good sign for the bill), and former railroad lobbyist John Thune has been elected Senate Majority Leader (definitely a bad sign for the bill!). 

ps:You can only shack your head!!!!!

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Jury decides Norfolk Southern should pay for the $600 million settlement in 2023 Ohio derailment

The company that owned the railcar that caused the devastating East Palestine train derailment in 2023 won’t have to help pay for the $600 million settlement Norfolk Southern agreed to with residents.

https://apnews.com/article/east-palestine-derailment-norfolk-southern-gatx-oxyvinyls-2d5110bf096ec3524f3092999bee3060?

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Is Norfolk Southern 'making it right' after Ohio derailment? New lawsuit adds to doubts

Not long after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and caught fire in eastern Ohio in February 2023 the railroad started to repeat its promise that it would “make it right” in East Palestine. But a new lawsuit filed Wednesday by the school district adds to concerns about the railroad's commitment after plans for a student wellness center stalled. Read More.