EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Norfolk Southern, a major transportation company, has issued a response to the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report on the recent train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The company expressed its support for the NTSB’s investigation and stated that it had been working to assist the Village of East Palestine and the NTSB since the incident occurred.
In the statement, Norfolk Southern emphasized that safety is its highest priority, and it has been inspecting all wayside heat detectors in the area of the incident to ensure they are operating as designed. In addition, the company is inspecting all of the nearly 1,000 wayside heat detectors on its system, on top of the regular inspection that occurs every 30 days, out of an abundance of caution.
The NTSB’s preliminary report indicated that the rail crew operated the train within the company’s rules, below the track speed limit, and that the wayside heat detectors were operating as designed. Once the rail crew was alerted by the wayside detector, they immediately began to stop the train. Norfolk Southern also highlighted that its wayside detectors on its network trigger an alarm at a temperature threshold that is among the lowest in the rail industry.
Norfolk Southern acknowledged the misinformation that has been circulating about the incident and expressed its commitment to the people of East Palestine. The company has been working to clean the site, engage the community, and provide financial support for families and small businesses affected by the derailment.
The statement concluded by stating that Norfolk Southern and the rail industry as a whole need to learn from this event and develop practices and technologies that could help prevent incidents like this in the future. The company also pledged to work with the owners of the rail cars to ensure the integrity and safety of the equipment used.