Ohio crash highlights gap in federal safety regulations, NY Times reports

The rail crash in East Palestine, Ohio has brought attention to a gap in federal safety regulations that has led the railroad industry to set its own standards when using sensors to warn train crews about impending derailments, Peter Eavis, Mark Walker, and Niraj Chokshi of NY Times reports. As Norfolk Southern’s (NSC) Train 32N traveled toward East Palenstine, it passed a series of detectors along the track designed to pick up overheated wheel bearings, which is a major cause of derailments. However, there was then not another heat detector for 20 miles, which led the temperature of the train to soar to critical levels. The federal government currently does not require the use of temperature detectors along railroad tracks, nor does it regulate how much equipment, such as toxic chemicals, is inspected or maintained. Companies in the space include Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), CSX (CSX), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Union Pacific (UNP), Genesee & Wyoming (GWR). Reference Link