Brown Leading Bipartisan Rail Safety Legislation in the Wake of Norfolk Southern Derailments in Ohio Communities, Including Delaware County
COLUMBUS, OH – April 12, 2023 – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined local business owners, rail union workers, and officials to call for swift passage of his bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023 two months after the devastating Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine. A few days before the derailment in East Palestine, a different Norfolk Southern train derailed in Delaware County.
“Railroad company lobbyists spent years fighting every effort to make our railroads safer, cutting more than 30 percent of their workers in less than 10 years, and now Ohioans are paying the price,” said Brown. “It shouldn’t take a train derailment for elected officials to put partisanship aside and work together for the people we serve – not corporations like Norfolk Southern.”
Brown led a bipartisan group of colleagues, including Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), to introduce his Railway Safety Act of 2023 that will improve rail safety protocols, finally standing up to railroad company lobbyists so no other community has to deal with what East Palestine and others in Ohio, including residents of Springfield, Sandusky, and Steubenville, have dealt with.
“Our entire northeastern border runs along an active railroad. So, the safety of the rail systems is imperative to the success of the mixed-use development plan you see shown here. Steelton Village is one of Columbus’ oldest neighborhoods and thrived in the industrial era at the turn of the century,” said Justin McAllister, owner of The Fort. “Ensuring safe rail activity is vital for the redevelopment of former industrial, urban areas such as Steelton Village and projects like this are vital to the continued growth of cities like Columbus.”
“We need to see accountability in the rail industry – Ohio residents shouldn’t have to wait six months or more to have their communities reopened when the railroads are up and running within hours,” said John Esterly, Ohio State Legislative Board Chairman, BLET.
Ohio news outlets have praised Brown’s bipartisan plan as “wise,” “commonsense” reforms that “could help keep people across the country safer.” The legislation comes after Brown worked with Vance and others to raise concerns to the NTSB about lax rail safety rules that allowed the crash to happen.
Rail unions including the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) support the legislation and have joined Brown to urge its passage at multiple locations around the state.
The Railway Safety Act of 2023 would:
- Enhance Safety Procedures for all Trains Carrying Hazardous Materials
- Prevent Wheel Bearing Failures
- Require at Least Two-Person Crews on Class I Freight Railroads
- Increase fines for safety violations
- Invest in the Next Generation of Safety Improvements
- Increase crew Invests in first responder training for HAZMAT Situations
