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Friday, March 10th, 2023

Rail Workers Warn Safety Bill Loopholes Are Big Enough to ‘Run a Freight Train Through’

Author:     Brett Wilkins
Source:     Common Dreams
Publication Date:     Mar 03, 2023
 Link: Rail Workers Warn Safety Bill Loopholes Are Big Enough to ‘Run a Freight Train Through’
Stephan:  

I thought it very revealing that this morning as the CEO of Norfolk and Southern Railroad was about to testify before the Senate committee looking into the railroad industry Norfolk and Southern had yet another derailment. Why is this happening over and over? Why, because the railroad industry has been bribing morally compromised Republican (and a few Democrats) members of Congress to see that they can operate with as little regulatory oversight as possible and maintenance costs money and reduces profits. Just another example of the corruption that has become the hallmark of America, and it is so great that even the railroad workers have had enough.

Workers survey the damage from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio on February 14, 2023. 
Credit: Rebecca Kiger / The Washington Post / Getty

Amid heightened national focus on railway safety in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio disaster and other recent accidents, one railroad workers’ union warned Friday that, while welcome, a bipartisan rail safety bill has “loopholes big enough to operate a 7,000-foot train through.”

The Railway Safety Act of 2023 —introduced earlier this week by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John Fetterman(D-Pa.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)—is meant to “prevent future train disasters like the derailment that devastated East Palestine.”

The legislation would impose limits on freight train lengths—which in some cases currently exceed three miles. The measure was introduced a day after Democratic U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna(D-Calif.) and Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) put forth a billthat would require the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to impose stricter regulations on trains carrying hazardous materials.

“We […]

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