Reported by Joanna Marsh with Freight Waves
The passage of any rail safety legislation in Congress next year is likely to be influenced by two things, industry observers told FreightWaves: the 2024 presidential election and the release of a report by the National Transportation Safety Board on the February 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio.
That February derailment — although it resulted in no injuries or deaths — has prompted calls to bolster rail safety because it led to the venting of tank cars carrying vinyl chloride, a hazardous material. That venting, conducted because of concerns that chemical reactions inside the derailed tank cars would eventually cause an explosion, resulted in a huge plume of smoke over the derailment site, rattling locals and raising concerns about the environmental health of communities in the area.
NTSB is expected to release its final investigative report in 2024. The report will include recommendations about what the industry and stakeholders can do to enhance rail safety. NTSB’s reports typically come out 12-16 months after an incident, so the report on the East Palestine derailment could come as soon as the first quarter of 2024 but is more likely to come out midyear, sources said.
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