HAS RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY’S COMMITMENT TO SAFETY. NTSB INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE A WORN DOWN WHEELBARROW RIG THAT OVERHEATED AND CAUGHT FIRE BEFORE THE TRAIN LEFT THE TRACKS LED TO THIS DERAILMENT. BUT THE QUESTION OF WHY IT FAILED REMAINS AS WE ALL NOW FOCUS ON WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP HISTORY FROM REPEATING ITSELF. RAILROAD PROFITS HAVE SOARED IN THE PAST DECADE, BUT THE RATE OF ACCIDENTS HAS ALSO SEEN A STEADY RISE. AT THE SAME TIME, RAILROADS HAVE BEEN CUTTING THEIR WORKFORCE FORCE, AND SOME EMPLOYEES SAY THAT’S PUTTING THE PUBLIC AT RISK. PAUL VAN OSDOL EXPLAINS. NORFOLK SOUTHERN’S CONWAY TERMINAL WAS THE DESTINATION FOR THE TRAIN THAT DERAILED IN EAST PALESTINE. THE RAIL YARD IS ALSO WHERE REGIS PASCUCCI SPENT HIS 41 YEAR CAREER INSPECTING RAIL CARS. IT’S LIKE GETTING YOUR CAR INSPECTED. YOU GO OVER THE BRAKES WHEN THE WHEELS MAKE SURE THE WHEELS ARE OKAY. YOU HAVE A LOT OF SAFETY APPLIANCES ON THE CAR, LIKE THE LADDERS ON THE SIDE TO CLIMB UP AND STUFF. YOU WALK AS SLOW AS YOU CAN AND YOU JUST YOU’RE LOOKING EVERYWHERE. THE SCHOOLS HE WAS ALLOWED JUST 3 MINUTES TO INSPECT EACH RAIL CAR. BUT NOW HE SAYS THE RAILROAD GIVES INSPECTORS JUST ONE MINUTE PER CAR. NOW I’M RUSHING BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE A MINUTE IN THE CAR. SO IT’S VERY EASY FOR ME TO MISS SOMETHING WITH THEM CUTTING BACK ON THEIR INSPECTION TIME. IT’S JUST AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. HE SAYS THE INSPECTION TIMES DROPPED WHEN NORFOLK SOUTHERN AND OTHER RAILROADS IMPLEMENTED WHAT’S CALLED PRECISION SCHEDULE RAILROADING. RAILROADS SAY PSR HAS ALLOWED THEM TO CUT COSTS WITHOUT SACRIFICING SAFETY. A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF RAILROADS SAYS RAIL IS THE SAFEST WAY TO SHIP HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. BUT GOVERNMENT DATA SHOWS THE ACCIDENT RATE ON MAINLINE RAILROADS ROSE 29% FROM 2013 TO 2022, WHILE THE NUMBER OF HOURS WORKED BY RAIL EMPLOYEES FELL BY AN IDENTICAL. AMOUNT 29%. 100 YEARS AGO, THE RAILROAD INVENTED SAFETY FIRST. SCOTT WILCOX RETIRED FROM NORFOLK SOUTHERN LAST YEAR AFTER AN 18 YEAR CAREER AS A LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER. WHEN PSR BEGAN, HE SAYS, NORFOLK SOUTHERN PUT UP A POSTER IN EMPLOYEE LOUNGES WHEN THEY PUT THIS POSTER UP. SAFETY IS FOR WHAT’S AHEAD OF SAFETY. ANYTHING TO MAKE MONEY. THE RAILROAD HAS BEEN MAKING MONEY. $3.3 BILLION IN PROFIT FOR NORFOLK SOUTHERN LAST YEAR, AND THE COMPANY ANNOUNCED A $10 BILLION STOCK REPURCHASE PLAN. IN A HEARING, SENATORS GRILLED NORFOLK SOUTHERN CEO ALAN SHAW ABOUT PSR AND HIS COMMITMENT TO SAFETY. WILL YOU MAKE A COMMITMENT RIGHT NOW TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT YOU WILL LEAD THE INDUSTRY IN ENDING THIS DISASTROUS POSITION? SCHEDULED RAILROADING WHICH HAS SLASHED YOUR WORKFORCE AND MADE RAILROADING MUCH LESS SAFE? YES OR NO? YOU MAKE THAT COMMITMENT. SHAW DID NOT DIRECTLY ANSWER, BUT HE DID SAY THAT SINCE HE BECAME CEO LAST YEAR, WE’VE BEEN ON A HIRING SPREE. THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AT NORFOLK SOUTHERN TODAY IS 1500 MORE THAN IT WAS THIS TIME LAST YEAR. SHAW ALSO SAID THE COMPANY INVESTED A BILLION DOLLARS IN SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS LAST YEAR AND LOWERED ITS ACCIDENT RATE. NORFOLK SOUTHERN RUNS A SAFE RAILROAD. AND IT’S MY COMMITMENT TO IMPROVE THAT SAFETY AND MAKE OUR SAFETY CULTURE THE BEST IN THE INDUSTRY. STILL, THERE HAVE BEEN WARNING SIGNS IN RECENT YEARS, INCLUDING IN NORFOLK. SOUTHERN DERAIL AND ON PITTSBURGH’S SOUTH SIDE. IN 2018. THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION FOUND A BROKEN PIECE OF TRACK CAUSED THE DERAILMENT. BUT JUST WEEKS BEFORE THE DERAILMENT, A NORFOLK SOUTHERN CONTRACTOR INSPECTED THAT SAME SECTION OF TRACK AND FAILED TO SEE A PROBLEM. AN FAA REPORT FOUND SERIOUS OVERSIGHTS BY THE CONTRACTOR. IN A SEPARATE MATTER, NORFOLK SOUTHERN IS FACING A WHISTLE BLOWER LAWSUIT FROM FORMER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER RUSSELL POZHARSKYI, WHO WORKED AT THE CONWAY YARD. PRISON. OSC SAYS NORFOLK SOUTHERN FIRED HIM AFTER HE MADE FREQUENT REPORTS ABOUT LOCOMOTIVES THAT FAILED TO MEET RAILROAD AND FEDERAL REGULATIONS AND WERE UNSAFE TO MOVE. HE SAYS HIS SUPERVISORS TOLD HIM THAT ON TIME, DEPARTURES WERE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ADEQUATE PRE-DEPARTURE INSPECTION. IN COURT PAPERS, NORFOLK SOUTHERN DENIES HIS BIZARRE EXCUSE ALLEGATIONS AND SAYS HE WAS FIRED FOR REASONABLE AND LEGIT, SMART, NONDISCRIMINATORY BUSINESS REASONS. PITTSBURGH RAIL SAFETY ADVOCATE GLENN ULSTER’S SAYS THE EAST PALESTINE DISASTER SHOULD BE A CLARION CALL TO INDUSTRY GOVERNMENT AND RESIDENTS. I’M SCARED, AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR VIEWERS HAS VERY GOOD REASON TO BE SCARED BECAUSE THAT ROLLING STOCK FAILURE THAT WE SAW IN EAST PALESTINE COULD HAVE BEEN ON ANY RAIL LINE ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. A FEW WEEKS AFTER THE DERAILMENT, EIGHT U.S. SENATORS FROM OHIO AND PENNSYLVANIA JOINED FORCES TO DRAFT A BIPARTISAN RAIL SAFETY ACT. THIS BILL CALLS FOR MORE THOROUGH AND FREQUENT INSPECTIONS. IT ALSO DEFINES SAFETY STANDARDS FOR TRANSPORTING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. CHRONICLE TRAVELED TO WASHINGTON, D.C., TO GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT HOW RAILROAD WORKERS AND THEIR UNIONS ARE HELPING CRAFT THE LEGISLATION. SEE OUR EXPANDED C