The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration is working to improve safety by pushing for major freight railroads to review and update their rail car configurations.
The formation of the cars and how cargo gets loaded can be critical to the risk of derailment, according to an April 7 DOT news release. The latest action is the sixth advisory issued from the department since the February 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
"Our department will continue to press forward on railroad safety, acting to reduce the risk of derailments and holding freight rail companies accountable," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an April 10 post on Twitter.
This sixth advisory is part of a set of sweeping reforms to rail safety pushed by the USDOT following the East Palestine derailment, the release reported. The department is calling for Congress to support a budget that improves critical rail infrastructure and ensures rail inspections continue without interruption.
President Joe Biden's budget for Fiscal Year 2024 earmarks more than $1 billion to expand DOT's core rail safety efforts and improve critical infrastructure. The amount earmarked includes $273.5 million for the department's railroad safety personnel, $760 million for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements and Railroad Crossing Elimination programs and $59 million for a Research and Development program.
DOT's actions build on previous progress, including targeted inspections and funding for hazmat rail first responders, according to the briefing on the budget details. The House Freedom Caucus, by contrast, has proposed a budget that would decrease rail safety inspections.
Recent train derailments in the U.S. have been widely covered by news outlets internationally, including CBS news. Those incidents include March 30 derailment in Raymond, Minn., that forced the evacuation of nearby residents over concerns about hazardous materials. Other train derailments in other states, including Texas and Pennsylvania, caused injuries and significant infrastructure damage.
