Efforts are underway to clean up the aftermath of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 9, 2023.
Gene J. Puskar | AP
The preliminary findings of a National Transportation Safety Board investigation, released on Thursday, reveal that Norfolk Southern supervisors failed to address safety concerns raised by an engineer before a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.
According to the NTSB, the day before the incident, an engineer in Decatur, Illinois, expressed concerns about the train’s size to the yardmaster. However, the engineer claims to have been told, “Well, this is what they want.”
The Decatur engineer argued, “If you talk to the manager, they said this train was 100% rule compliant. To me, in my opinion, you know, you got 32% of the weight on the headend. Twenty percent in the middle and 40% weight on the rearend. So, to me, that’s why we reported that to the yardmaster and like I said this is what they want.”
Norfolk Southern responded by asserting that the Federal Railroad Administration has not established regulatory requirements for train configuration. The company also stated that the train complied with its internal policies at the time of the East Palestine derailment.
“Every accident presents an opportunity to learn. We are actively working with labor leadership and our employees to enhance safety. Additionally, we have engaged an external safety consultant and remain fully committed to leading the industry,” commented Norfolk Southern spokesman Connor Spielmaker in an email response to CNBC.
The NTSB released these findings prior to the commencement of a two-day hearing on the derailment. The purpose of the hearing is to address the initial emergency response preparedness, the decision-making process regarding venting and burning the vinyl chloride tank cars, and the examination of freight car bearing failure modes and wayside detection systems.
The Norfolk Southern freight train derailed on February 3, resulting in the release of hazardous chemicals into the environment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has pledged support for the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, although critics argue that his efforts have been insufficient.
In a separate statement, the Transportation Communications Union informed the NTSB that a duration of three to three minutes and 45 seconds is adequate for maintenance personnel to inspect a train car. However, the union claimed that Norfolk Southern has reduced the average inspection time to approximately one minute due to the company’s new train scheduling strategies, which it believes is insufficient for a comprehensive inspection.
Norfolk Southern denied having a policy that limits time for car inspections.
The company also disputed the union’s allegation, stating that the current average car inspection time is about two minutes. Norfolk Southern argued that this is one minute longer than the average set by qualified railroaders and offered as a guideline to crews.
“It is important to note that Norfolk Southern has not ‘reduced’ the standard inspection time since the implementation of PSR. Instead, we have documented and standardized the proper inspection process and the time it should take for a qualified railroader to complete such an inspection,” clarified Spielmaker.
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