Robert Besser
18 Mar 2023, 22:59 GMT+10
WASHINGTON D.C.: US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that following the East Palestine, Ohio derailment of a Norfolk Southern Corp train, a federal investigation into safety practices of all seven major freight railroads must take place.
The National Transportation Safety Board should launch an investigation of Norfolk Southern, BNSF Railway, CSX, Union Pacific, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Kansas City Southern, Schumer wrote in a letter.
Over the past five years, freight rail companies have had "over 26,500 accidents and incidents and 2,768 deaths, all while cutting roughly 20 percent of their workforce," he stressed.
Schumer also accused the seven freight carriers of a "dangerous industry-wide trend that puts profits over people's safety."
"Norfolk Southern is not the only rail company that has spent years lobbying to loosen regulations, neglect safety upgrades and lay off workers," he said a Senate speech this week.
On the sidelines at an event, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said she had received Schumer's letter, but was unclear if the agency has the authority to conduct the proposed probe.
"We will evaluate it and see what is possible," Homendy said.
Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board said it was opening a "special investigation" and urged Norfolk Southern "to take immediate action today to review and assess its safety practices."
A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on 3rd February, causing the release of over 1 million gallons of harmful pollutants.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw apologized for the derailment and promised to improve his company's safety practices.
Get a daily dose of Scandinavia Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Scandinavia Times.
More InformationDUBLIN, Ireland: Local authorities throughout Ireland are set to spend 350 million euros to house the country's homeless in 2023, ...
LONDON, England: Despite rising air fares, a potential global economic recession and risks of gridlock at some airports in Europe ...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Ireland's life expectancy has seen the greatest gains among all EU nations, according to one of the country's ...
PARIS, France: Amidst the mass deaths of dolphins and porpoises in recent years, France's highest administrative body has ordered the ...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: While chairing a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers in Brussels this week, European Union (EU) foreign ...
The US stations its arsenal in Europe, but rebukes Russia for planning to do the same in Belarus, Ambassador Antonov ...
UVLADE, Texas: Texas police stopped a Florida-bound freight train this week and discovered two migrants had died in a freight ...
ROLLING FORK, Mississippi: A powerful tornado has struck Mississippi, killing at least 25 people, injuring dozens, flattening entire blocks and ...
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras: In what could signal the end of his country's decades-long relations with Taiwan, Honduran foreign minister Eduardo Enrique ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: A new US Congressional committee focusing on China held its second hearing on the alleged abuses of the ...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: A new round of extreme winter weather that hit California, also drifted into neighboring Southwest states, with ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: After several high-profile near collision incidents, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a safety alerts to ...