Senator Chuck Schumer holds up letter he has sent to major railroad companies (March 7, 2023)

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is demanding answers from major rail companies just as Norfolk Southern released a six-point safety plan Monday four weeks after the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Norfolk-Southern said their six-point plan is based on the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board as they continue investigating the derailment.

The February 3 derailment caused a fire and sent a cloud of smoke over the town, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off toxic chemicals. It has prompted calls in Congress to pass new railroad safety legislation.

While the NTSB’s investigation is ongoing, the agency has determined a wheel bearing was in the final stage of overheat failure before the crash.

Schumer outlined some of the 10 points of his letter to Norfolk Southern, CSX, and the other major railroads in a media call, “What notification do you provide to the state and local responders and now, more importantly, what changes will you make with notification in light of the recent derailment in Ohio? Two, how will you ensure local responders have the appropriate resources to respond to a train derailment? It’s not the railroads that have to respond, but local first responders.”

Schumer has requested a response to his letter within 30 days.

A bipartisan railway safety bill by the senators from Ohio would boost safety requirements for trains carrying hazardous materials, call for more frequent inspections of rail cars, increase fines for safety violations and greenlight $27 million to examine possible other safety improvements.

The bill would also require more frequent use of sensors that detect overheated wheel bearings.

Meanwhile, Norfolk Southern’s CEO Alan Shaw has agreed to testify on the Ohio train derailment before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Thursday, March 9.

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