Rail Safety Bill, Inspired By Fiery Ohio Derailment, Clears First Major Hurdle
1 year, 7 months ago

Rail Safety Bill, Inspired By Fiery Ohio Derailment, Clears First Major Hurdle

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING A Senate committee on Wednesday advanced legislation aimed at preventing disasters like February’s fiery train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio. “The people of East Palestine are going to deal with the costs of what Norfolk Southern did for the next generation — the mental health costs, the physical health costs, the economic damage, the loss of home and property values.” “The least that we can do is make it less likely that the next East Palestine happens in our communities,” he said. Announcing his opposition to the bill, Sen. Ted Cruz, the committee’s ranking Republican, argued it would give the Biden administration a “free hand to aggressively restrict the movement of coal, oil, natural gas, ethanol and other essential commodities that the radical green movement hates.” Vance swung back at Cruz’s comments, noting that a number of industry groups have come out in support of the bill. “JD Vance has been working hard in the Senate to make sure nothing like this EVER happens again, and that’s why it’s so important for Congress to pass his Railway Safety Act,” Trump’s statement said.

Safety Trump Ohio Senate Republican Biden Committee Republicans Southern Bill East Palestine Norfolk Southern Rail Safety Rail Vance  fiery  derailment  inspired  bill  rail  vance  clears  norfolk  committee  major  industry  ohio  safety  hurdle  east  palestine  southern

History of this topic

Railroad BNSF stresses safety but is still held back by longstanding industry issues, report finds
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Railroad BNSF stresses safety but is still held back by longstanding industry issues, report finds

Associated Press  

Freight railroad BNSF is generally striving to improve safety on a consistent basis, but that message doesn’t always reach front-line workers who often don’t feel comfortable reporting safety concerns for fear of being disciplined, according to an assessment released Wednesday by regulators. The Federal Railroad Administration’s review of BNSF’s safety culture also found that the company continues to be held …

Rushed railcar inspections and 'stagnated' safety record reinforce concerns after fiery Ohio crash
5 months ago

Rushed railcar inspections and 'stagnated' safety record reinforce concerns after fiery Ohio crash

Associated Press  

Major freight railroads are rushing railcar inspections, reinforcing known safety concerns raised by unions for years, but at a House hearing Tuesday they’ll present new evidence from federal inspectors that railcar checks are routinely less than two minutes per car. Despite assertions to the contrary, derailment rates for our nation’s largest rail companies have not significantly improved.” AP AUDIO: Rushed …

Union Pacific undermined regulators’ efforts to assess safety, US agency says
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Union Pacific undermined regulators’ efforts to assess safety, US agency says

Associated Press  

— Union Pacific managers undermined the U.S. government’s efforts to assess safety at the railroad in the wake of several high-profile derailments across the industry by coaching employees on how to respond and suggesting they might be disciplined, federal regulators say. The meddling was so widespread across Union Pacific’s 23-state network that the Federal Railroad Administration had no choice but …

Buttigieg scolds railroads for not doing more to improve safety since Ohio derailment
9 months, 1 week ago

Buttigieg scolds railroads for not doing more to improve safety since Ohio derailment

The Independent  

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Latest freight railroad layoffs and Wall Street pressure renew concerns about safety and service
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Latest freight railroad layoffs and Wall Street pressure renew concerns about safety and service

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. All the major freight railroads — and the Ancora …

Railroads say they're making safety changes to reduce derailments after fiery Ohio crash
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Railroads say they're making safety changes to reduce derailments after fiery Ohio crash

The Independent  

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Railroads say they’re making safety changes to reduce derailments after fiery Ohio crash
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Railroads say they’re making safety changes to reduce derailments after fiery Ohio crash

Associated Press  

— The changes railroads announced after last year’s fiery crash in East Palestine, Ohio, haven’t yet made a major difference, statistics show, and reforms have stalled in Congress. The overall picture is that rail safety hasn’t significantly improved in recent years — and as the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine last Feb. 3 and others demonstrate, just one derailment …

Rule allowing rail shipments of LNG will be put on hold to allow more study of safety concerns
1 year, 3 months ago

Rule allowing rail shipments of LNG will be put on hold to allow more study of safety concerns

Associated Press  

— A Trump-era rule allowing railroads to haul highly flammable liquefied natural gas will now be formally put on hold to allow more time to study the safety concerns related to transporting that fuel and other substances like hydrogen that must be kept at extremely low temperatures when they are shipped, regulators announced Thursday. The Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety …

Railroads resist joining safety hotline because they want to be able to discipline workers
1 year, 4 months ago

Railroads resist joining safety hotline because they want to be able to discipline workers

Associated Press  

— The major freight railroads say a disagreement over whether they will be allowed to discipline some workers who use a government hotline to report safety concerns has kept them from following through on the promise they made back in March to join the program after a fiery Ohio derailment prompted calls for reforms. “I mean, that’s what this is …

Norfolk Southern changes policy on overheated bearings, months after Ohio derailment
1 year, 4 months ago

Norfolk Southern changes policy on overheated bearings, months after Ohio derailment

Associated Press  

— A minor coal train derailment in Virginia in early July prompted Norfolk Southern to rethink the way it responds to problems with overheating bearings, but it’s not clear why the railroad didn’t make similar changes months earlier after an overheating bearing caused the fiery Ohio derailment that prompted nationwide concerns about rail safety. After the derailment, the Brotherhood of …

Rail union says Virginia derailment renews questions about Norfolk Southern’s safety practices
1 year, 5 months ago

Rail union says Virginia derailment renews questions about Norfolk Southern’s safety practices

Associated Press  

The union that represents locomotive engineers says a Thursday night coal train derailment in Virginia is renewing questions about Norfolk Southern’s safety practices. Fannon said someone at the railroad’s headquarters in Atlanta who was working on the “hot box detector desk” told the crew to go ahead and move the train 8 miles down the track. “We are working to …

States clamp down on freight trains, fearing derailments and federal gridlock
1 year, 5 months ago

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

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We’re looking for investments in safety that are going …

States clamp down on freight trains, fearing derailments and federal gridlock
1 year, 5 months ago

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

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — 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. “We’re looking for investments in safety that are going to drive favorable outcomes.” And the state efforts to …

Union official says safety of railroads has been compromised by job cuts and time constraints
1 year, 6 months ago

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

Associated Press  

— 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. The National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report that an overheating wheel …

Railroads warned about the problems long trains can cause
1 year, 7 months ago

Railroads warned about the problems long trains can cause

Associated Press  

— Federal regulators are warning railroads that the long trains they favor can cause all kinds of problems and contribute to derailments, so they want the railroads to ensure their training and operating procedures account for that. The Federal Railroad Administration stopped short of recommending in its latest safety advisory issued Thursday that railroads limit the size of their trains, …

Rail CEO repeats derailment apologies before Ohio Senate
1 year, 8 months ago

Rail CEO repeats derailment apologies before Ohio Senate

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Norfolk Southern’s CEO reiterated apologies Tuesday for the East Palestine train derailment and vows to make things right during his first testimony to Ohio lawmakers since the fiery accident, expressing support for some additional safety proposals but resistance to others. An Ohio Senate panel on rail safety questioned Alan Shaw over a wide range of topics related …

Regulators say railroads must examine how they build trains
1 year, 8 months ago

Regulators say railroads must examine how they build trains

Associated Press  

— Federal regulators said Friday that railroads need to re-examine how they assemble their trains after a string of derailments in recent years that were at least partly caused by the way empty and loaded cars were mixed together with locomotives. “Railroads must prioritize proper train makeup to maintain safety, prevent accidents, and optimize train performance,” the railroad administration said …

Fiery derailments renew Americans’ focus on railroad safety
1 year, 8 months ago

Fiery derailments renew Americans’ focus on railroad safety

Associated Press  

— Americans are renewing their focus on railroad safety after a string of recent derailments, especially two fiery ones involving hazardous chemicals in Ohio and Minnesota that prompted evacuations. FLAMMABLE TRAIN RULES Regulators established a set of safety rules for trains hauling large amounts of crude oil, ethanol or other flammable liquids in 2015 after several fiery derailments, including one …

Ohio governor signs rail safety measures into law
1 year, 8 months ago

Ohio governor signs rail safety measures into law

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a nearly $13.5 billion state transportation budget Friday, touting new rail safety measures that were included in response to the February train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine. The railway safety measures would mandate a two-person crew for freight trains and require that the wayside detectors used to help spot …

Ohio lawmakers OK rail safety rules after train derailment
1 year, 8 months ago

Ohio lawmakers OK rail safety rules after train derailment

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rail safety measures proposed after the February train derailment and toxic chemical burn in East Palestine are closer to becoming law in Ohio, as part of a nearly $13.5 billion transportation budget that cleared the Legislature on Wednesday. Nearly two months after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a fiery crash in eastern Ohio, …

Norfolk Southern won’t push for one-person train crews
1 year, 9 months ago

Norfolk Southern won’t push for one-person train crews

Associated Press  

Railroad Norfolk Southern is backing away from its push to reduce its train crews down to one person, the company said Thursday in a joint announcement with the nation’s largest rail union. Railroad safety, including staffing levels, has come under scrutiny since a fiery freight train derailment involving cars carrying toxic chemicals in early February led to evacuations in East …

Bipartisan support emerges for Senate railroad safety bill
1 year, 9 months ago

Bipartisan support emerges for Senate railroad safety bill

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan consensus that Congress should act to toughen regulations on railroads emerged Wednesday as senators heard fresh testimony on the fiery hazardous train derailment last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Both Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee peppered Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw with questions about what enhanced safety measures he would support. Cantwell added …

Norfolk Southern supports some new regs after Ohio disaster
1 year, 9 months ago

Norfolk Southern supports some new regs after Ohio disaster

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Norfolk Southern’s CEO is offering support for some parts of a bipartisan Senate bill to put tougher safety regulations on railroads after last month’s fiery hazardous materials train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. This time, Shaw says in prepared remarks released Tuesday that Norfolk Southern will “support legislative efforts to enhance the safety of the freight rail industry.” …

JD Vance excoriates fellow conservative Republicans for opposing rail safety after Ohio train derailment
1 year, 9 months ago

JD Vance excoriates fellow conservative Republicans for opposing rail safety after Ohio train derailment

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ohio Senator JD Vance excoriated conservative Republicans on Thursday for …

Railroads propose safety reforms after fiery Ohio derailment
1 year, 9 months ago

Railroads propose safety reforms after fiery Ohio derailment

Associated Press  

— 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. Congress plans to scrutinize Norfolk Southern’s safety record and its response …

Railroads propose safety reforms after fiery Ohio derailment
1 year, 9 months ago

Railroads propose safety reforms after fiery Ohio derailment

The Independent  

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Safety agency opens inquiry into rail operator Norfolk Southern after accident
1 year, 9 months ago

Safety agency opens inquiry into rail operator Norfolk Southern after accident

LA Times  

The cleanup continues at the site of a Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Federal investigators on Tuesday announced a special investigation into rail operator Norfolk Southern after a fiery derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border in February and several other accidents, including the death of a train conductor just hours earlier Tuesday. The National …

Lessons for India: Ohio train derailment a call to revisit hazardous goods transit norms, check disaster response
1 year, 9 months ago

Lessons for India: Ohio train derailment a call to revisit hazardous goods transit norms, check disaster response

Firstpost  

It would have been comic, if not for its tragic and extremely dangerous consequences. Slow-moving government machinery The response of the state authorities and the US federal government to this environmental disaster has been tragically slow, riddled by polarized politics, and exposes a completely lackadaisical approach of the state towards people’s health issues. To deflate criticism on President Joe Biden …

Ohio senators introduce rail safety bill after fiery crash
1 year, 9 months ago

Ohio senators introduce rail safety bill after fiery crash

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Railroads including the one whose train derailed and caught fire in Ohio would have to follow new safety rules under bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday by the state’s two U.S. senators, even as regulators plan to step up inspections on tracks carrying the most hazardous materials. “The U.S. Department of Transportation will continue to use our tools to …

Ohio train derailment: Fetterman, Hawley and Vance among senators proposing new regulations
1 year, 9 months ago

Ohio train derailment: Fetterman, Hawley and Vance among senators proposing new regulations

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Action to prevent future disasters is critical, but we must never lose sight of …

Ohio’s U.S. senators introduce bipartisan rail safety bill in wake of East Palestine derailment
1 year, 9 months ago

Ohio’s U.S. senators introduce bipartisan rail safety bill in wake of East Palestine derailment

LA Times  

Cleanup continues at the site of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment on Feb. 24, three weeks after it occurred in East Palestine, Ohio. Railroads like the one involved in last month’s fiery crash and toxic chemical release in Ohio would be subject to new federal safety regulations under bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday by the state’s two U.S. senators. Federal …

Crew of train was alerted of overheated axle just before Ohio derailment, report says
1 year, 10 months ago

Crew of train was alerted of overheated axle just before Ohio derailment, report says

LA Times  

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. “I can’t …

Upset Ohio town residents seek answers over train derailment
1 year, 10 months ago

Upset Ohio town residents seek answers over train derailment

Associated Press  

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Residents of the Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment packed a school gym on Wednesday to seek answers about whether they were safe from toxic chemicals that spilled or were burned off. “Norfolk needed to be here.” In a statement, Norfolk Southern said it was not attending Wednesday’s open house gathering with local, state …

Fiery Ohio derailment raises railroad safety questions
1 year, 10 months ago

Fiery Ohio derailment raises railroad safety questions

Associated Press  

— The fiery derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals — sending a huge plume of smoke in the air and forcing residents of a small Ohio town to evacuate — has highlighted the potentially disastrous consequences of train accidents and raised questions about railroad safety. “I’m eventually going to have to go back, but it makes me want to …

Fiery Ohio derailment raises railroad safety questions
1 year, 10 months ago

Fiery Ohio derailment raises railroad safety questions

LA Times  

The fiery derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals — sending a huge plume of smoke in the air and forcing residents of a small Ohio town to evacuate — has highlighted the potentially disastrous consequences of train accidents and raised questions about railroad safety. Federal Railroad Administration data showed hazardous chemicals were released during 11 train accidents nationwide last …

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