Norfolk Southern Unveils Safety Plan After Another Train Derails In Ohio

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th March, 2023) US rail giant Norfolk Southern announced a series of safety measures on Monday after a train derailed in Ohio over the weekend, the second such incident in the state within a month.

Earlier in the day, the US National Transportation Safety board said it is deploying a team of Federal investigators to probe Saturday's 20-car derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train near Springfield, Ohio. The incident comes about a month after a catastrophic derailment leaked toxic chemicals into the air and water in East Palestine, Ohio.

"Norfolk Southern Corporation announced Monday a six-point plan to immediately enhance the safety of its operations. The initiatives are based on the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment," the company said in a press release.

The new safety plan is largely focused on enhancing its network of hot bearing detectors. Overheated bearings were identified by investigators as one of the root causes of the East Palestine crash.

The Senate plans to convene a hearing on Thursday to grill Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, top US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials, as well as local heads of sanitation and emergency services departments.

On Sunday, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Anne Vogel said there was no release of chemical or hazardous material to the soil, air or water after the crash in Springfield. The NTSB said it has not determined the cause of the crash.

On February 3, a train hauling 20 cars from Norfolk Southern with hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. A big fire erupted due to the derailment, leading to officials burning vinyl chloride inside five of the tanker cars to avoid a catastrophic explosion. The accident released toxic chemicals, including hydrogen chloride, phosgene, butyl acrylate, and ethylene, into the environment.

Despite repeated assurances that the air and water are safe, residents in the area told Sputnik of recent health impacts, including headaches, burning skin and irritated eyes as well as anxiety about long-term health risks such as cancer. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources told Sputnik in mid-February that approximately 3,500 fish had died in waterways near the train derailment site.