Train derailments have increased in the year since the East Palestine, Ohio rail disaster, regulatory reports have revealed.
Legislation to address the issue — the Railway Safety Act — was introduced in the Senate in March 2023. However, the bill has faced strong opposition from railroad industry lobbyists who claim it would actually inhibit the introduction of new safety measures.
“These figures show the railroad industry’s safety standards are getting worse,” said bill co-sponsor Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). “We can reverse the trend by passing the Railway Safety Act immediately.”
On February 3, 2023, 51 cars of a freight train operated by Norfolk Southern carrying hazardous materials derailed, resulting in a massive explosion, fires that lasted more than two days, and the spilling of 100,000 gallons of hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, benzene residue, and butyl acrylate.
Despite a White House statement that Joe Biden planned to visit East Palestine this month, such a visit has yet to materialize.
