TTD in the news

WASHINGTON, DC – Nobody wants to experience a nightmare at 30,000 feet, trapped in close quarters aboard an aircraft with a violent passenger who is brawling their way into the ‘air rage passenger hall of shame.’ But sky-high levels of disgraceful violence directed at flight crews and fellow passengers has become rampant. Now, a bipartisan group of […]

Reported by Sarah Zimmerman for SmartCitiesDive.

At an investor’s conference last December, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw made a somewhat surprising announcement for the rail industry: The company would look beyond short-term profits to rebuild service and invest in customer relations.

Following nearly three years of declining service and contentious negotiations with labor that nearly boiled over into a nationwide strike, railroads have been working to remake their image in the public and private sphere. Shortly after Norfolk Southern’s investor day, other major railroads including CSX and BNSF made similar promises to invest in infrastructure and workers.

Those announcements, however, were quickly overshadowed in early February when a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. While no injuries or deaths have been associated with the incident so far, half of the town’s roughly 5,000 residents were forced to evacuate so officials could release and burn toxic vinyl chemicals as a safety precaution.

Today, U.S. Representatives Bill Johnson (R-OH) and Emilia Strong Sykes (D-OH) introduced the bipartisan Reducing Accidents in Locomotives (RAIL) Act. The Representatives released the below statements following the introduction of their legislation:  “The East Palestine train derailment has upended the lives of those living in East Palestine and the surrounding region. It is imperative that […]

Reported by Joanna Marsh for Freightwaves.

Two congressional representatives from Ohio have introduced their own rail safety bill that excludes a train crew size requirement.

The bill, Reducing Accidents in Locomotives Act, or RAIL Act, calls for the promulgation of new rules that are based off of the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) train. The bill also calls for railroad companies to provide advanced notice to state emergency response commissioners of trains carrying hazardous materials.

Reported by Alex Daugherty for Politico Pro.

The majority of House members from Ohio on Friday introduced a bill that aims to improve rail safety in the wake of last month’s derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, including provisions related to notification, first responders, rail inspections and more.

The bill is being led by Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes and Republican Rep. Bill Johnson, whose district includes East Palestine, and has the support of Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), the ranking member on the House Transportation Committee, who on Friday said he looks “forward to advancing this proposal and others designed to protect communities, strengthen rail safety, and hold operators accountable.”

WASHINGTON– Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04) today joined union leaders and airport service workers to announce the reintroduction of the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, legislation to provide airport service workers — a predominantly Black, Brown, and immigrant workforce — with the wage and benefits that they […]

A Norfolk Southern worker is dead after being struck by a dump truck Tuesday morning at a railroad crossing at a Cleveland steel plant.

Norfolk Southern says conductor Louis Shuster was killed on the Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland Works property in Cleveland.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office says Shuster, 46, was from Broadview Heights.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it is opening a “special investigation” into Norfolk Southern’s safety culture, pointing to five serious incidents involving the railroad — including last month’s derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.

“The continued safe operations of Norfolk Southern is vital to the United States,” the board said in a statement. “The NTSB is concerned that several organizational factors may be involved in the accidents, including safety culture.”

All seven Class I railroads have signed on to a voluntary program established by the Federal Railroad Administration that enables workers to anonymously share situations in which there might be operational hazards.

Federal officials had renewed their calls for the Class I railroads to take part in the close call reporting system (C3RS) following the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio. The Transportation Trade Department of the AFL-CIO had also pressed federal officials to urge the Class I railroads to participate in the program.

From the Office of Rep. John Garamendi. WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative John Garamendi (D-CA) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Cabin Air Safety Act to protect airline pilots, flight attendants, and passengers from toxic cabin air. While planes pressurize and ventilate the cabin with outside air that flows through the engines, faulty […]