Rail Safety: Federal officials will need to be vigilant
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It must have been a bit awkward for Norfolk Southern Corp. officials Monday morning to announce a six-point safety plan that included improvements in detecting problems that could lead to derailments. After all, for the second time in just over a month, the railroad company was dealing with a derailment over the weekend -- this time in Springfield, Ohio.
This one involved a cargo train carrying what Norfolk Southern assures residents were not hazardous materials. Still, 20 cars of a 212-car train jumped off the tracks. No one was asked to evacuate this time, though approximately 1,000 people were asked to shelter in place until officials could get a grasp on what had happened.
Those in the Springfield area were far luckier than the residents of East Palestine, where 5,000 residents were evacuated, and health and environmental worries linger. And bear in mind, that Feb. 3 incident came amid still unanswered questions regarding previous Norfolk Southern incidents in the state.
But on Monday, the company was proud to announce its new plan, based, it says, on the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary findings in East Palestine.
"Reading the NTSB report makes it clear that meaningful safety improvements require a comprehensive industry effort that brings together railcar and tank car manufacturers, railcar owners and lessors, and the railroad companies," said Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan H. Shaw. "We are eager to help drive that effort and we are not waiting to take action."
Certainly the whole industry should be working to improve safety, but we must hope Shaw understands what a large share of that burden rests on Norfolk Southern -- not just in Ohio, but across the region. The company points out it has the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S., and serves most of the country's population.
While it is encouraging to know the company says it is all-in on this new safety plan, it would have been nice if it hadn't taken a series of derailments and community crises to spur them to it.
Goodness knows federal officials will have to be vigilant in ensuring Norfolk Southern takes seriously and sustains its new fervor for safety.