Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated in a recent social media post that investments in railway safety and holding the freight rail industry accountable for their safety practices are priorities for the agency.
"Day in and day out, we will continue moving forward with investments in rail safety and rail infrastructure," Buttgieg wrote in a March 13 Twitter post, "while advancing our work to ensure freight rail companies are accountable for their safety practices."
Buttigieg's tweet linked to a DOT news release issued March 10 that highlights how $1 billion in funding from President Joe Biden's Fiscal Year 2024 budget will fund improvements to the nation's railway infrastructure and safety, including $273.5 million to expand critical inspection and audit capabilities, $760 million for programs to improve nearly all facets of railroad safety and $59 million for research and development.
The DOT also outlines steps taken by its Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the Feb. 3 toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, including conducting a 60-day supplemental safety assessment of the freight rail company "following multiple safety incidents" and calling on Norfolk Southern to "reinforce safety culture" with management in workers." The agency also has taken additional steps in recent weeks to improve freight rail safety and worker and community protections, according to the release.
The FRA will use information from the assessment to target specific areas for oversight and enforcement, identify risks beyond the reach of current federal regulations and push Norfolk Southern to develop measures to mitigate risks and appropriate enforcement actions, the release reports.
A Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by the FRA would require railroads operating in the U.S. to provide emergency-escape breathing apparatus and to train crews and other employees about transport of certain hazardous materials.
