For the second time in a month, a Norfolk Southern train has derailed in Ohio. The latest derailment happened over the weekend near the city of Springfield, raising further questions about the company’s safety record. Then on Tuesday morning, a third Norfolk Southern train was involved in a deadly traffic accident in Cleveland.
A Senate hearing is scheduled for this Thursday regarding the derailment in East Palestine. On Monday, the company announced a new six-point plan to increase safety.
CBS News correspondent Allison Keyes tells KMOX that their plan puts lots of safety procedures in place -- but will it work to prevent future derailments?
“There are experts that say none of this is going to be a huge help because they're more than there's more than 1,000 derailments each year,” Keyes said. “And experts are saying that these are all great things, but it's not going to solve the overall safety problem.”
In response to the derailments and crashes, two Ohio senators have put up legislation that would require railroads to create disaster plans. It would also require them to tell the emergency responders what chemicals are traveling through their states, and would set limits on train size and weight.
Keyes said that the hearing at the Senate will be fiery, to put it lightly.
"It's gonna be an ugly hearing, because even though there are so many derailments a year, I think, first of all, most people don't know that," Keyes said. "And then you're talking about people that have been talking to the media, and to environmentalists for days. I mean, half of that town had to evacuate for days. And they say their pets are dying. They say their children are sick. They say they're seeing things on the water. They're just very frightened."
Hear more analysis on the Ohio train derailments from CBS correspondent Allison Keyes:
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