Lawmakers, regulators, and union representatives sharply questioned the railroad industry’s safety efforts during a House hearing on July 23 that explored Norfolk Southern’s toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.
The forum was held by the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee.
David Arouca of the Transportation Communications Union, and Gregory Hynes of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers—Transportation Division (SMART-TD), accused the railroads of focusing on profits above safety.
The safety record of Class I railroads “has stagnated over the last decade—and by some measures deteriorated,” Federal Railroad Administrator (FRA) Amit Bose said….