After a second train derailment in Ohio and a deal to spend millions of dollars to compensate governments on the Pennsylvania side of the border after its massive spill and file in East Palestine, Ohio, Norfolk Southern Railroad has announced it will implement safety upgrades that may have prevented or lessened the impact of the recent accidents, the Associated Press reports.
Norfolk Southern said it would install more “hot box” detectors along the rail lines it owns, which includes the locations of the East Palestine wreck and a second derailment Saturday near Springfield, Ohio; no hazardous materials were involved in the second derailment. In addition, the railroad said it would strengthen instructions to engineers on what to do and how to safely stop trains when a problem is identified. After lobbying to ease regulations–and having receptive ears in the Trump administration–Norfolk Southern now faces hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and repair costs that will come from anticipated lawsuits.
Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced a multi-million dollar agreement to compensate state, county and local agencies that responded to the East Palestine derailment which spill toxic vinyl chloride, a deadly chemical that was set on fire, sending a toxic cloud into the atmosphere. Civil lawsuits are pending, and investigations. After being mocked for initially contributing $25,000 to a fund for victims of the East Palestine wreck, Norfolk Southern has now pledge more than $1 million to replace fire equipment damaged in the wreck, another million for the town of East Palestine, and $1.2 million to the more than 2,000 people evacuated.
“Hot boxes” are sensors built into the railway that measure the temperature of bearings, wheels, axles, and other components to monitor for overheating, evidence of a potentially serious problem for train engineers. Norfolk Southern placed detectors every 20 miles, although recommendations are for half that. Norfolk Southern has also lobbied for lowering safety regulations for the company, which made $12.7 billion in revenue in 2022; in the wake of the accident, Norfolk Southern directed all questions about its and the industry’s lobbying efforts to its trade association.