The Federal Railroad Administration announced its plan to conduct a 60-day supplemental safety assessment of Norfolk Southern Railway, as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg promised the department will take more steps to improve rail safety.
The FRA will use the information gathered to target specific areas for oversight and enforcement efforts, identify risks beyond the reach of current federal regulations and push Norfolk Southern to develop measures to mitigate risks and appropriate enforcement actions, according to a release by the Transportation Department.
"After a series of derailments and the death of one of its workers, we are initiating this further supplemental safety review of Norfolk Southern while also calling on Norfolk Southern to act urgently to improve its focus on safety so the company can begin earning back the trust of the public and its employees," Buttigieg said in the release.
The FRA will review the findings and recommendations of the 2022 Norfolk Southern system audit and assess operational elements such as track, signal, rolling stock maintenance, employee protection, communication, compliance with federal regulations and training programs, the release reported. The Transportation Department also called on Norfolk Southern to prioritize safety training, culture and operational actions that match the severity of recent incidents to protect workers and communities.
"This comes as USDOT continues its own urgent actions to further improve freight rail safety and accountability," Buttigieg added, according to the release.
A Senate proposal supported by President Joe Biden includes provisions to increase fines for safety violations, enhances rules for trains carrying hazardous materials and ensuring a two-person crew minimum on trains. The FRA has also launched targeted track inspections focusing on hazardous material routes, and the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has issued safety advisory notices for tank car covers, hot bearing wayside detectors and emergency response plans for hazardous materials transport.
A Norfolk Southern conductor, Louis Shuster, was killed in an accident March 7 in Cleveland, according to a release about the incident.
"This is an awful day that leaves a hole in our company's spirit," CEO Alan Shaw said in a statement to PR Newswire. "Moving forward, we are going to rebuild our safety culture from the ground up. We are going to invest more in safety. This is not who we are, it is not acceptable, and it will not continue."
