Former DOT official: Electronic brakes could have minimized damage in East Palestine derailment

HERE’S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER PAUL VAN OSDOL. A FORMER TOP OFFICIAL FROM THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION TELLS ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATES THAT ELECTRIC SONIC BRAKES COULD HAVE MINIMIZED OR PREVENTED THE DAMAGE FROM THE DERAILMENT. HERE IT IS. PALESTINE. BUT LOBBYING BY THE RAILROADS PREVENTED THE GOVERNMENT FROM REQUIRING THOSE BRAKES. AFTER THIS TRAIN DERAILED IN NORTH DAKOTA A DECADE AGO, THE NTSB DID A STUDY THAT FOUND ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED PNEUMATIC OR ECP BRAKES WOULD REDUCE STOPPING DISTANCES AND MINIMIZE THE SEVERITY OF ACCIDENTS. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THEN PASSED A RULE REQUIRING ECP BRAKES FOR TRAINS CARRYING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. BUT THE RAILROAD ROADS, INCLUDING NORFOLK SOUTHERN, PUSHED BACK, ARGUING THAT THE BRAKES WERE UNPROVEN AND COSTLY. STEPHEN DITTMER IS A FORMER OFFICIAL WITH THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION. THE RAILROAD SAID, NO, WE DON’T WANT IT. IT’S NOT BEEN PROVEN. AND ENOUGH TO SATISFY US. AND WE ARE OPPOSED. A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS SAYS RAILROADS HAVE ENGAGED IN EXTENSIVE REAL WORLD TESTS OF ECP BRAKES THAT SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT FAILURE RATE FOR ECP SYSTEMS. ADDITIONALLY, THE RAILROADS FOUND THAT THE REPAIR TIME IS MUCH TOO LONG TO MAKE THEM PRACTICAL. BUT THIS POWERPOINT PRESENTATION BY THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY’S OWN RESEARCH DIVISION SAYS ECP BRAKES HAVE MULTIPLE ADVANTAGE IS INCLUDING SHORTER STOP DISTANCES, RESULTING IN IMPROVED SAFETY. EXPERTS SAY THE BRAKES ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR LENGTHY TRAINS LIKE THE ONE THAT DERAILED IN EAST PALESTINE. JEFF KURTZ IS A RETIRED LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER. I’VE ACTUALLY RAN A COUPLE OF TRAINS WITH THE THE ECP SYSTEM, AND IT’S ACTUALLY BETTER THAN THEY TALKED ABOUT. I ASKED DITTMAR IF ECP BRAKES WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN EAST PALISADE. THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THAT HUGE PILEUP OF CARS COMING FROM THE REAR THAT THAT THAT PILED AND CAUSED RUPTURES AND FIRES. SO, YES, THERE IS A VERY HIGH LIKELIHOOD THAT THERE WOULD BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DAMAGE. WE KNOW FROM PRETTY GOOD EVIDENCE THAT IN GENERAL THIS IMPROVE SAFETY. AND SO IT’S HERE, IT’S STAFFING, IT’S ACROSS THE BOARD. THIS INDUSTRY WANTS TO PUT THEIR PROFIT AHEAD OF OUR COMMUNITIES. AND THAT’S GOT TO CHANGE. I’LL BE FIGHTING IN CONGRESS TO MAKE SURE THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN ANY MORE. THE FEDERAL DOT NOW SAYS THEY PLAN TO IMPLEMENT TOUGHER SAFETY STANDARDS FOR RAILROADS, INCLUDING ELECTRIC PANIC BRAKES. THEY WILL HAVE SUPPORT FROM GOVERNOR SCHAPIRO OF PENNSYLVANIA AND DEWINE OF OHIO, WHO BOTH SAY THE RAILROADS NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

A former top official at the Federal Railroad Administration told Action News Investigates that electronic brakes could have minimized or prevented the damage from the East Palestine derailment.After the 2013 derailment of a train in North Dakota carrying crude oil, the National Transportation Safety Board did a study that found electronically controlled pneumatic or ECP brakes would reduce stopping distances and minimize the severity of accidents.The federal government then passed a rule requiring ECP brakes for trains carrying hazardous materials.But railroads, including Norfolk Southern, pushed back, arguing that ECP brakes were unproven and costly."The railroads said, 'No, we don't want it. It's not been proven and enough to satisfy us, and we are opposed,'" said Steven Ditmeyer, the former head of research and associate administrator at the Federal Railroad Administration. A spokesperson for the Association of American Railroads said in a statement:"Several U.S. railroads have engaged in extensive real-world tests of ECP brakes that showed a significant failure rate for ECP systems. Additionally, the railroads found that the repair time is much too long to make them practical. Worse, ECP-equipped trains that became unmovable due to ECP failures blocked the track for other trains and caused far-reaching disruptions. Instead, railroads have often used distributed power (locomotives placed strategically throughout a train), as well as end-of-train devices, that allow the brake signal to reach all cars of a train more quickly than when a brake signal is sent only from the lead locomotive of a train."But a presentation by the railroad industry's own research division said ECP brakes have multiple advantages, including "shorter stop distances" resulting in "improved safety."Some experts said the brakes are especially important for lengthy trains like the one that derailed in East Palestine."I've actually run a couple of trains with the ECP system and it's actually better than they talked about," Jeff Kurtz, a retired locomotive engineer, said.Asked if ECP brakes would have made a difference in East Palestine, Ditmeyer said: "There would not have been that huge pile up of cars coming from the rear that piled and caused ruptures and fires. So, yes, there is a very high likelihood that there would be significantly less damage."U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pennsylvania, said: "We know from pretty good evidence that in general this improves safety. And so it's here, it's staff, it's across the board this industry wants to put their profit ahead of our communities, and that's got to change. I'll be fighting in Congress to make sure that doesn't happen anymore."The federal Department of Transportation said it plans to implement tougher safety regulations for railroads, including electronic brakes. Govs. Mike DeWine of Ohio and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said they support tougher regulations.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio —

A former top official at the Federal Railroad Administration told Action News Investigates that electronic brakes could have minimized or prevented the damage from the East Palestine derailment.

After the 2013 derailment of a train in North Dakota carrying crude oil, the National Transportation Safety Board did a study that found electronically controlled pneumatic or ECP brakes would reduce stopping distances and minimize the severity of accidents.

The federal government then passed a rule requiring ECP brakes for trains carrying hazardous materials.

But railroads, including Norfolk Southern, pushed back, arguing that ECP brakes were unproven and costly.

"The railroads said, 'No, we don't want it. It's not been proven and enough to satisfy us, and we are opposed,'" said Steven Ditmeyer, the former head of research and associate administrator at the Federal Railroad Administration.

A spokesperson for the Association of American Railroads said in a statement:

"Several U.S. railroads have engaged in extensive real-world tests of ECP brakes that showed a significant failure rate for ECP systems. Additionally, the railroads found that the repair time is much too long to make them practical. Worse, ECP-equipped trains that became unmovable due to ECP failures blocked the track for other trains and caused far-reaching disruptions. Instead, railroads have often used distributed power (locomotives placed strategically throughout a train), as well as end-of-train devices, that allow the brake signal to reach all cars of a train more quickly than when a brake signal is sent only from the lead locomotive of a train."

But a presentation by the railroad industry's own research division said ECP brakes have multiple advantages, including "shorter stop distances" resulting in "improved safety."

Some experts said the brakes are especially important for lengthy trains like the one that derailed in East Palestine.

"I've actually run a couple of trains with the ECP system and it's actually better than they talked about," Jeff Kurtz, a retired locomotive engineer, said.

Asked if ECP brakes would have made a difference in East Palestine, Ditmeyer said: "There would not have been that huge pile up of cars coming from the rear that piled and caused ruptures and fires. So, yes, there is a very high likelihood that there would be significantly less damage."

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pennsylvania, said: "We know from pretty good evidence that in general this improves safety. And so it's here, it's staff, it's across the board this industry wants to put their profit ahead of our communities, and that's got to change. I'll be fighting in Congress to make sure that doesn't happen anymore."

The federal Department of Transportation said it plans to implement tougher safety regulations for railroads, including electronic brakes. Govs. Mike DeWine of Ohio and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said they support tougher regulations.

Former DOT official: Electronic brakes could have minimized damage in East Palestine derailment

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