Norfolk Southern Train Derails as CEO Testifies to Congress

Another Norfolk Southern train was also sabotaged as its CEO Alan Shaw testified in Congress about the fatal train crash in Ohio last October.

According to the company, 30 cars were on board a Norfolk Southern train that was headed from Atlanta, Georgia, into Mississippi. It said that the cars that were damaged were all empty and that no injuries had been reported.

“Norfolk Southern is responding to a derailment in Piedmont, Alabama,” In a statement, the train operator stated that News outlets Thursday “There are no reports of injuries and no reports of a hazardous materials release. We are working in close coordination with local officials.”

A local official, Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade, also confirmed there no injuries or property damage associated with the derailment. According to Wade, no hazardous material was found aboard this train. Local outletsIt is not like the train in East Palestine that got stranded on February 3, Ohio.

On February 16, another incident involved the derailment a Norfolk Southern train at Van Buren, just outside Detroit.

The Norfolk Southern third train Springfield: Getting derailedAuthorities launched an investigation in Ohio on Saturday.

The latest derailment happened at 6:45 a.m. ET on Thursday, about 70 miles to the northeast of Birmingham in Calhoun County, county officials . Norfolk Southern will  remain at the derailment site until cleanup is completed, officials said.

Shaw was making an appearance before the Senate panel to discuss East Palestine. This prompted authorities and Shaw to start a controlled burning of toxic vinyl chloride, which sent a dark cloud of smoke into the atmosphere. A variety of health problems have been reported by local residents, including nausea, bronchitis, respiratory issues, and skin rashes.

Although no one was hurt, half the approximately 5,000 residents were evacuated. This incident drew national attention to railroad safety issues and the dangerous nature of rail transportation.

Shaw made an apology on behalf of Norfolk Southern during the congressional appearance. The company has been the subject of numerous lawsuits since the crash. Shaw was criticized by senators of both parties for not supporting their policies and providing noncommittal answers.

“I am determined to make this right,” He spoke to senators. “Norfolk Southern will clean the site safely, thoroughly and with urgency. You have my personal commitment.”

The company is also “committed to the legislative intent to make rail safer,” And “Norfolk Southern runs a safe railroad,” Shaw said. “We can always get better and that is my intent: to continue to invest and continue to improve,” He added.

The company has made several safety improvements. Senators are now looking to take action as they investigate the incident, the Biden administration’s reaction, and the safety practices of the company after the toppling 38 railcars. 11 of these cars were carrying hazardous materials.

Shaw pointed out that the company spent over $1 billion on safety last year. However, he also acknowledged that Norfolk Southern spent more than $3B to buy back stock and made a $3.3B profit in 2022. Norfolk Southern workers have been at the East Palestine site to remove. “affected soil” And “potentially affected water,” He also made a comment.

Federal regulators are also putting pressure on Norfolk Southern. Federal Railroad Administration as well the National Transportation Safety Board have announced that they will be investigating the East Palestine derailment.

According to data from the Federal Railroad Administration, although train derailments have become less common, they still exceeded 1,000 last year. East Palestine is a good example of how even a single train accident involving hazardous materials could be catastrophic.

The shipments of hazardous materials account for 7 to 8 percent to 8 percent each year of the approximately 30 million shipments that railroads deliver across the U.S. Railroads mix shipments so they might have one to two hazardous materials cars on every train. According to the Association of American Railroads, 99.9% of hazardous material shipments arrive safely at their destination.

This report was compiled by the Associated Press.