Train Derailments

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Norfolk Southern CEO apologizes for Ohio crash, but won’t back bipartisan rail safety bill

The CEO of Norfolk Southern, the railroad operating the train that last month derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, apologized for the derailment at a U.S. Senate hearing Thursday, but declined solicitations to endorse a bipartisan rail safety bill.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/03/10/norfolk-southern-ceo-apologizes-for-ohio-crash-but-wont-back-bipartisan-rail-safety-bill/?

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Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over toxic train derailment

Ohio filed a lawsuit against railroad Norfolk Southern to make sure it pays for the cleanup and environmental damage caused by a fiery train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border last month, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday.

https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-lawsuit-norfolk-southern-07a9727b4cdf8f6758a7d834431a38c1?

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Priorities for rail safety bill debated in U.S. Senate hearing with Norfolk Southern CEO

Members of a U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday previewed what they would push for in bipartisan rail safety legislation likely to progress through Congress in the aftermath of the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/03/23/priorities-for-rail-safety-bill-debated-in-u-s-senate-hearing-with-norfolk-southern-ceo/?

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I live near the East Palestine chemical spill. Officials who say we’re safe are lying

My granddaughters got red blotches and their eyes burned. I’ve been having headaches and coughing fits

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/27/ohio-train-derailment-chemicals-health?

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Minnesota train derailment, ethanol fire renew safety fears

PRINSBURG, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of people had to evacuate their Minnesota town after a train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire early Thursday, but authorities were hopeful that the quick response and cold weather would help limit the impact of this latest crash.

https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-train-derailment-evacuation-ethanol-fire-73cc3e80f616070806f8f8b35191a616?

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Railroads propose safety reforms after fiery Ohio derailment

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The major freight railroads announced a number of steps Wednesday that they are taking to improve safety in the wake of last month’s fiery Ohio derailment, but it’s not clear if their actions will be enough to satisfy regulators and members of Congress who are pushing for changes.

https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-ohio-derailment-hazardous-materials-74d7aec638500c52d1eb9fda0acf9f26?

Train crew had little warning before Ohio wreck, probe finds

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — The crew operating a freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, didn’t get much warning before dozens of cars went off the tracks, and there is no indication that crew members did anything wrong, federal investigators said Thursday as they released a preliminary report into the fiery wreck that prompted a toxic chemical release and an evacuation.

https://apnews.com/article/politics-pete-buttigieg-evacuations-ohio-explosions-64908a6416662b5866809387f210aee5?

Tracks reopen after freight train derails in Mojave Desert

BAKER, Calif. (AP) — Train traffic resumed Tuesday afternoon on a stretch of track where 55 railcars and two locomotives derailed a day earlier in a remote area of Southern California’s Mojave Desert.

https://apnews.com/article/southern-california-mojave-desert-freight-train-derailment-iron-ore-union-pacific-2c2317870648c77fada482bcec75323c?

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Norfolk Southern Violated the Clean Water Act in East Palestine Disaster, DOJ Lawsuit Alleges

The freight company now faces a federal lawsuit over environmental damage caused by chemicals spilled in its February train derailment in Ohio.

https://gizmodo.com/norfolk-southern-east-palestine-train-doj-lawsuit-1850287747

Summary of the Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. The basis of the CWA was enacted in 1948 and was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, but the Act was significantly reorganized and expanded in 1972. "Clean Water Act" became the Act's common name with amendments in 1972.

https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act

NTSB to Open a Special Investigation into Norfolk Southern Railway’s Safety Practices and Culture

WASHINGTON (March 7, 2023) — The National Transportation Safety Board announced today a special investigation of Norfolk Southern Railway’s organization and safety culture.

https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20230323.aspx

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Hundreds of cases of Coors Light and Blue Moon beer spill in Montana train wreck

MISSOULA, Mont. (WNCN/KPAX/CBS Newspath) — Montana politicians are reacting to a train derailment Sunday morning that sent several cars into the river across from Quinn’s Hot Springs camping area west of Paradise.

https://www.cbs17.com/news/national-news/hundreds-of-cases-of-beer-spill-in-montana-trail-derailment/?

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Truck carrying toxic soil from East Palestine overturns in Columbiana County

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WKBN) – A truck carrying toxic soil from the East Palestine train derailment site overturned just before 1 p.m. Monday in Columbiana County.

https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/east-palestine-train-derailment/truck-carrying-toxic-soil-from-east-palestine-overturns-in-columbiana-county/?

ps:Not quite a train derailment!!

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East Palestine families living in limbo months after derailment

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Jeff Drummond spends days and nights alone in a tiny room with fake wood paneling, two small beds and a microwave atop a mini refrigerator that serves as a nightstand — his pickup truck parked just outside the door at the roadside motel where he’s taken refuge since early February.

https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-residents-limbo-8a486c65b38ea00d718936c5d88a70fc?

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US rail companies grant paid sick days after public pressure in win for unions

Leading railroads give four paid sick days after years in which workers weren’t allowed to call in sick the morning of their shift

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/01/railroad-workers-union-win-sick-leave?

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In the wake of the catastrophic train derailment this winter in East Palestine, Ohio, federal regulators and bipartisan lawmakers agreed it was past time to impose new safety regulations on the railroad industry. But, as Julia Rock reports in today’s featured story below, rail and chemical industry lobbyists are working hard to undercut those efforts — and Ohio’s own bipartisan dealmaker Sen. J.D. Vance (R) is helping them. We could only report this story because readers just like you stepped up and purchased a paid subscription. Join in our mission by becoming a paid supporting subscriber, and get great perks in return. J.D. Vance Helped Lobbyists Weaken His Rail Safety Bill By Julia Rock AP images/Illustration by Lindsay Ballant, The Lever. For nearly a decade, lawmakers and railroad regulators have been trying to get puncture-susceptible tank cars, designed in the 1960s for non-hazardous shipments, off the nation’s tracks. In the wake of the catastrophic derailment and chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio, in February, bipartisan rail safety legislation committed to quickly end hazardous material shipments in the antiquated tank cars, which regulators said had failed at higher rates during the Ohio derailment than updated, fortified tank cars on the same train. “The Railway Safety Act would require the adoption of safer tank cars that carry hazardous materials by 2025, instead of 2029 — something we’ve called on Congress to get done,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted when the bill was introduced. But last month, the bill’s co-sponsor, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), quietly amended his own legislation to delay the tank car change by years, at the request of rail and chemical industry lobbyists. According to lobbyists’ Senate testimony, manufacturers would have been unable to comply with the faster timeline — even though one of the lobbying group’s members has previously said manufacturers could build and retrofit tank cars on this production schedule. On May 10, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation adopted a Railway Safety Act amendment authored by Vance and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) that delayed the tank car enhancement deadline from May 2025 to December 2028 at the latest. After the amendment passed, Vance touted the American Chemistry Council’s support for the bill — without mentioning that the lobbying group had backed the change to the tank car rules. Vance, whose home state is nurturing a growing petrochemical industry, is one of the Senate’s top recipients of chemical industry cash. Nearly one billion tons of chemicals are transported on trains across the United States each year. In 2022 alone, shippers reported 337 hazmat leaks, 32 of which were “serious,” according to an analysis by USA Today. The adoption of new, safer tank car designs would reduce the rate of spills during derailments from 20 percent to just three percent, according to the Railway Supply Institute, the lobbying group for “the full supply chain for the railroad system” that pushed for the delayed timeline. Cantwell and Vance’s offices declined to comment for this story. The Railway Safety Act In February, a Norfolk Southern train carrying vinyl chloride and other hazardous materials burst into flames upon derailing in East Palestine, Ohio. Its contents were later released in a controlled burnoff, releasing a noxious plume of smoke over the small town. The pollution has persisted in the area, with residents reporting serious health concerns immediately after returning and now months later. Norfolk Southern, other railroad companies, and the chemical industry had previously lobbied to water down 2015 hazmat rail safety legislation such that the derailed train in East Palestine was not subject to stricter tank car standards, speed limits, and disclosure requirements that apply to “high-hazard flammable trains.” In the decade preceding the derailment, railroad companies spent nearly $200 billion enriching their shareholders through stock buybacks while spending just $140 billion on capital improvements. At the same time, rail companies paid their executives hundreds of millions of dollars, slashed their workforces by nearly 30 percent, and refused to provide their employees with regular schedules or paid sick days — even as they warned of growing safety concerns stemming from the policies. The East Palestine derailment thrust these issues into the national spotlight, and in the wake of the disaster, lawmakers vowed to take on the railroad industry. The most viable legislative effort that emerged is the Railway Safety Act, led by the two Ohio senators: Vance and Sherrod Brown (D). “Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again,” Vance said in a statement when the bill was introduced. “We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind.” Their bill — which has a companion version in the House led by Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) — would address key railroad safety issues, by requiring train crews of at least two people, expanding the definition of hazmat trains, and increasing maximum penalties for serious safety violations. The bill is a remarkable effort to crack down on an industry that spends tens of millions on lobbying each year, has compromised safety and working conditions to enrich shareholders, and evaded substantial regulation for decades. But now, a key safety provision aimed at preventing the release of chemicals during derailments is quietly being delayed — against the recommendations of federal rail regulators. “A Lot Of Support From Industry” During the Railway Safety Act’s markup in early May, Vance and Cantwell introduced what is known as an “amendment in the nature of a substitute,” in which an entirely new bill replaces the existing text. The substitute passed with the support of all 14 Democrats on the committee and just two Republicans — Vance and Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri. “This bill has changed a lot from what I introduced just a few short months ago,” said Vance in a statement. “We’ve made a number of concessions to the rail industry, a number of concessions to various interest groups, which is why we have so much bipartisan support in this body, but also we have a lot of support from industry.” Compared to the previous version, the amended bill bolsters training requirements and funding for first responders, and removes a requirement that the Transportation Secretary set length and weight limits for hazmat trains. But one substantial change to the bill did not appear in the senators’ press releases touting the committee vote. According to a Lever review of the text, the amended version delays a requirement that certain hazardous materials be shipped in thicker, safer tank cars by up to three and a half years. The move came as lobbyists were calling for the postponement. The provision in question requires a tank car design from the 1960s — DOT-111, which is prone to puncturing and releasing its contents during derailments — to be upgraded to a more recent design, the DOT-117 car. The enhanced safety classification was created just under a decade ago in the wake of the Lac-Mégantic crude oil train derailment in Quebec, which left 47 people dead. In 2015, the Department of Transportation finalized a rule for hazmat trains that required the older tank cars to be retrofitted or replaced with the improved design. That rule would have required all hazardous materials to be carried in the upgraded tanks by May 2025, with a faster timeline for petroleum and some flammable liquids. “[We] denied requests from industry representatives to loosen the final rule as it related to the phaseout schedule,” the agency said in March. In response to the hazmat rule, Congressional Republicans amended the phaseout schedule in a provision slipped into the 2015 omnibus transportation bill, which President Barack Obama signed. The new phaseout schedule gave shippers until 2029 to upgrade their tank cars for some hazardous materials. But in the wake of the East Palestine derailment, federal regulators called for a faster phaseout schedule. “The social and environmental costs of delaying a shift to the DOT-117 specification tank car — a car which has clearly demonstrated its superior performance in accident scenarios — should be paramount,” said the Department of Transportation in a non-binding safety advisory issued in March, calling on shippers to immediately start using the safer tank cars. “Had all of the breached DOT-111 tank cars been DOT-117s, the outcome and consequences may have been different for the railroad and the East Palestine community.” Likewise, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent agency tasked with investigating transportation accidents and making safety recommendations, has been calling for the newer cars for years. “The NTSB has pointed out the inadequacy of DOT-111 tank cars for all hazardous materials, including flammable materials, since 1991, and we recommended they be replaced or retrofit in 2015,” the agency’s chair, Jennifer Homendy, told the Senate Transportation Committee in March. She said the NTSB supports “a shorter timeline to transition away from DOT-111s than what is currently in statute and regulation” and that “Congress should consider transitioning all other DOT-111s out of hazmat service.” When it was first introduced, the Railway Safety Act legislation required all hazardous materials to be shipped in the higher quality tank cars by May of 2025. The amendment has moved that deadline back to December 2027, with a possibility to be moved to December 2028 if a Government Accountability Office study assesses that an additional year is needed. “The amendment offered by Chair Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Vance (R-OH) makes significant improvements to the Railway Safety Act that will help prevent future incidents, strengthen emergency response and support the safe movement of chemicals vital to everyday life,” said an American Chemistry Council press release on the change. The group’s spokesperson, Scott Jensen, confirmed to The Lever that they had been pushing for a “realistic and workable timetable” for the tank car upgrades. For members of the American Chemistry Council, including major corporations like 3M, Dow, and DuPont, upgrading to the newer and heftier tank cars could mean higher shipping costs. The Railway Supply Institute, a lobbying group that represents tank car manufacturers, owners, and lessors, had also pushed for the change. The group said that about 35,000 new tanks needed to be manufactured to replace all of the old tanks with new ones while meeting current demand for shipping hazardous materials. Manufacturers are currently producing the new tanks or upgrading older ones to meet the newer specifications at a rate of about 10,000 per year. “If DOT-111 phase-out timelines are accelerated too quickly, it will cause a shortage of cars needed to move other critical materials,” the group’s president said in testimony submitted to the Senate. In 2015, when the Department of Transportation first recommended phasing out the old tank cars, the Railway Supply Institute made a similar argument. But one of the country’s largest tank car manufacturers, Greenbrier Companies, disputed the trade group’s claim that the timeline was too fast — and argued that the industry could make 40,000 new cars annually and retrofit 13,000 more. “The [Railway Supply Institute] analysis significantly underestimates the known capacity of the contract shop industry to meet the deadlines in the proposed rule,” said a separate study commissioned by Greenbrier. “Contract shops and new car manufacturers will respond to changes in demand, as evidenced by announcements of shop expansions and new car manufacturing capacity, leading to substantial job creation and a safer fleet.” That manufacturer, Greenbrier Companies did not respond to a request for comment. The Department of Transportation’s March safety advisory on tank cars also claimed that, based on available industry data, there is sufficient manufacturing capacity to replace the antiquated tank cars “well ahead” of the existing 2029 deadline. The legislation is now headed to the full Senate, where it will need GOP support to reach the sixty votes needed to pass. The party’s whip, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is a former rail lobbyist who has opposed the legislation. In the GOP-controlled House, Deluzio’s bill has picked up five Republican cosponsors so far. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed the legislation, even though his administration rolled back rail safety rules.

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UPDATED: Controversial ‘vent and burn’ in East Palestine derailment may not have been needed

Beyond the size of the train, investigators are probing a variety of factors, including whether the overheated wheel directly responsible for the derailment was detected fast enough by track equipment.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/22/norfolk-southern-east-palestine-derailment-train-length-00103140?

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Freight train carrying hot asphalt, molten sulfur plunges into Yellowstone River as bridge fails

COLUMBUS, Mont. (AP) — A bridge that crosses the Yellowstone River in Montana collapsed early Saturday, plunging portions of a freight train carrying hazardous materials into the rushing water below.

https://apnews.com/article/montana-bridge-collapse-train-dbd905bac1b35a63107213db7983bafc?

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States clamp down on freight trains, fearing derailments and federal gridlock

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Spurred on by train derailments, some states with busy criss-crossing freight railroads are pursuing their own safety remedies rather than wait for federal action amid industry opposition and questions about whether they even have authority to make the changes.

https://apnews.com/article/railroads-freight-safety-derailment-state-laws-42fa5ddae7486e44c7383def082d31a3?

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Work begins to clean up train derailment in Montana’s Yellowstone River

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Work is underway to clean up rail cars carrying hazardous materials that fell into the Yellowstone River in southern Montana after a bridge collapsed over the weekend, officials said Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/montana-bridge-collapse-train-yellowstone-river-f36324630dd7132b5cb09ef7e8bedfd5?

Union official says safety of railroads has been compromised by job cuts and time constraints

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Freight railcar inspections are happening less often and are not as thorough as in years past due to staff cuts, time constraints and regulatory loopholes, a union official testified Friday during a federal hearing to examine the reasons behind a fiery train derailment in Ohio.

https://apnews.com/article/train-derailment-ohio-ntsb-29a4a6fab0eb21fcb69223a28ff41ea5?

Response to fiery Ohio derailment frustrated by poor communication and incomplete information

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Firefighters who responded to February’s fiery train derailment in Ohio struggled to immediately identify the hazardous chemicals the train was hauling due to a lack of communication from the railroad, officials said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-derailment-east-palestine-ohio-ntsb-bc2531012afcac4ee54e6b3999e31ed9?

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Amtrak train with 198 passengers derails after hitting a truck on the tracks in Southern California

MOORPARK, Calif. (AP) — An Amtrak train carrying nearly 200 passengers struck a county water truck and derailed on Wednesday in Southern California, critically injuring the truck’s driver, authorities said.

https://apnews.com/article/amtrak-train-derailment-collision-california-ventura-county-moorpark-1ff715a6889fb5b0cd1ddaba3fffcb60?

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6 months after the East Palestine train derailment, Congress is deadlocked on new rules for safety

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress responded to the fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio earlier this year with bipartisan alarm, holding a flurry of hearings about the potential for railroad crashes to trigger even larger disasters. Both parties agreed that a legislative response was needed.

https://apnews.com/article/east-palestine-train-derailment-safety-regulations-railroad-4db52c68daf68da05425b5b70363fb0a?

Why this matters: Rail labor groups say widespread cuts the industry made in the name of efficiency have made railroads riskier. Some GOP leaders want to wait until the National Transportation Safety Board completes its investigation of the derailment, likely next year. Others caution against the cost of regulation on railroads.   For Republicans, the fight poses a larger test of political identity, caught between their traditional support for industry and their desire to champion voters in rural America.   East Palestine residents worry about the long-term health effects of the derailment and are still living in limbo.

Related coverage ➤ Response to fiery Ohio derailment frustrated by poor communication and incomplete information BNSF train engineers offered paid sick time and better schedules in new deal Norfolk Southern changes policy on overheated bearings after derailment

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Corporate Cash Derails Train Safety Bill

The oil company whose vinyl chloride poisoned East Palestine gave $2 million to the Senate GOP as lawmakers watered down and stalled proposed reforms.

https://www.levernews.com/the-corporate-cash-behind-the-train-safety-bills-derailment/?

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Rail Unions Renew Push for Safety Reforms 6 Months After East Palestine Disaster

Six months after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed and burned in East Palestine, Ohio, railroad workers on Thursday urged Congress to pass comprehensive safety legislation to stop their employers from "choosing Wall Street over Main Street."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/east-palestine-6-months-rail-safety?

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Norfolk Southern Spent $1.9 Million in Washington as Congress Weakened Rail Safety Bill

After laying low in the wake of the disastrous East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, Norfolk Southern is back to spending millions in Congress — and a paper trail indicates that it’s lobbying for weaker regulation and rewarding members of Congress who play along.

https://theintercept.com/2023/08/18/norfolk-southern-rail-safety-lobby-congress/?

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Regulators Blast Union Pacific for Running Unsafe Trains

The nation’s largest freight rail carrier failed to fix and continued to use faulty equipment, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Managers reportedly pressured inspectors to leave the yard so they could keep freight moving.

https://www.propublica.org/article/union-pacific-federal-railroad-administration-unsafe-trains?

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Toxic Rail Sale

Next month, the company behind an Ohio train derailment that triggered a toxic inferno and  national scandal could close a lucrative deal: At the urging of elected officials and company executives, the state’s third-largest city could sell railroad giant Norfolk Southern more than 300 miles of track — one of the last publicly-owned stretches of rail line in America. 

https://www.levernews.com/toxic-rail-sale/

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Broken rail caused fatal Colorado train derailment that collapsed bridge, early findings show

A broken rail caused a train derailment that collapsed a bridge over an interstate highway in Colorado, killing a truck driver and blocking the road for days, federal authorities said Tuesday based on their preliminary findings.

https://apnews.com/article/colorado-train-derailment-bridge-i25-closed-f43838a0598afac233ff9aa50ff143cb?

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Union Pacific Fired Him Rather Than Heed His Warnings of Dangerous Rail Conditions

Time and again, Johnny Taylor’s duty to keep the rails safe from disaster conflicted with his employer’s desire to keep its trains running as fast and as frequently as possible, putting his career and family in peril.

https://www.propublica.org/article/union-pacific-railroad-dangerous-conditions-warnings-fired-employee?

“Do Your Job.” How the Railroad Industry Intimidates Employees Into Putting Speed Before Safety

Railroad companies have penalized workers for taking the time to make needed repairs and created a culture in which supervisors threaten and fire the very people hired to keep trains running safely. Regulators say they can’t stop this intimidation.

https://www.propublica.org/article/railroad-safety-union-pacific-csx-bnsf-trains-freight?

The True Dangers of Long Trains

Trains are getting longer. Railroads are getting richer. But these “monster trains” are jumping off of tracks across America and regulators are doing little to curb the risk.

https://www.propublica.org/article/train-derailment-long-trains?

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?