Most of the six-point proposal, unveiled on Monday, focuses on enhancing the tools Norfolk Southern uses alongside lines to identify whether a train's wheels are overheating. Here's more you should know
The proposal gives Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw something to talk to senators about on Thursday. Still, it is unlikely to meet the needs of the Biden administration.
A drone video captures an aerial perspective of the derailment's aftereffects on a Norfolk Southern freight train. According to Norfolk Southern, industry standards for this equipment, which individual firms now set, should be agreed upon by all parties.
The railroad in Ohio responsible for last month's catastrophic train catastrophe will declare Monday that it will make its trains safer, just days before its CEO is expected to testify before Congress for the first time about its part in the accident.
But, they pale compared to the demands the Biden administration has already set forth. Most of the actions that Norfolk Southern plans to take are related to overheating wheels, which are the only likely cause of federal investigators' derailment so far connected to the accident on February 3 near East Palestine.
In addition, the administration and lawmakers have also called for more extensive measures to enhance rail safety and working conditions, such as braking limits, crew size, and sick leave time. Still, they are likely to fail to be implemented.
Although the proposal gives Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw something to discuss with senators when he testifies before the Senate EPW Committee on Thursday, Democrats on the panel are unlikely to be pleased.
Most of the six-point proposal, unveiled on Monday, focuses on enhancing the tools Norfolk Southern uses alongside lines to identify whether a train's wheels are overheating.
This includes increasing the number of detectors and reevaluating how far apart they should be spaced. The railroad also claims it wants to find an industry-wide standard for this equipment, as different businesses currently set them. Additionally, it states that it intends to hasten the development of new automated inspection technology.
In a statement that accompanied the plan, Shaw stated that Norfolk Southern is "not waiting to take action" and that the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary findings, an independent investigation into the accident, made it clear that "a comprehensive industry effort" was required to improve safety.
The modifications sought by the Biden administration, however, include:
- Speedier braking systems.
- Increased community notice of hazardous products passing through their neighborhoods.
- Paid sick leave for employees.
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The Department of Transportation has said that it also wants railways to modernize their automated track inspection machinery. In addition, it wants them to avoid trying to reduce the number of human inspections.
The Biden administration has also requested several further adjustments from Congress, such as raising the $225,000 ceiling on fines for safety infractions. One provision in a bill recently introduced by a bipartisan group of senators, including delegations from Ohio and Pennsylvania, where the repercussions of the catastrophe were felt, proposed lifting the cap.
The railways have pushed hard to block the changes resulting from this bill, requiring at least two crew members on board each train and subjecting additional trains that carry hazardous commodities to safety requirements meant to protect communities.
Additionally, the bill would require railways to install overheated wheel detectors every 10 miles of the track rather than every 15 as specified in Norfolk Southern's action plan.
Norfolk Southern has not primarily addressed the bill or the DOT's requests other than stressing that the rail industry must learn as much as possible from East Palestine, as the company indicated in a statement to POLITICO.
The statement added, "Norfolk Southern has committed to collaborating with industry to create procedures and technologies that could aid in averting a similar disaster. They will also work with the owners of the rail cars on the safety and integrity of the equipment they utilize. This incident deserves a comprehensive industry reaction.