Ohio's Sen. Brown calls on NS to fix Cleveland rail bridge

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is calling on Norfolk Southern Railway to fix a deteriorating rail bridge in Cleveland in response to residents' complaints that chunks of concrete and cast iron fall off the structure when trains pass over.

In a May 2 letter to NS President and CEO Alan Shaw, Brown said the Lake Avenue Bridge and other "failing rail infrastructure" in the city and across the state is of "great concern" to residents.

On a recent visit to Cleveland's Edgewater neighborhood, Brown met with residents concerned about a lack of repairs to the bridge and potential safety issues when chunks of concrete and cast iron fall off the structure as trains pass over. Although the railroad installed plywood on the bridge's underside to prevent concrete from falling, that’s not a solution to a "serious issue," Brown said in his letter.

The letter also referred to Cleveland news reports that 16 of NS's 20 railroad properties in the city show visual signs of degradation.

"I ask that you provide a plan detailing how you will improve the Lake Avenue Bridge specifically and the general problems of rail property disrepair in Cleveland," Brown’s letter stated.

The senator and state officials have been highly critical of NS since Feb. 3, when one of its trains derailed in East Palestine, prompting a massive fire and the release of hazardous materials into the environment. In the derailment's aftermath, Brown and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) introduced the Railway Safety Act of 2023.

Shaw has apologized repeatedly for the derailment and promised the company is committed to cleaning up the site and helping the community recover.

The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the derailment's cause.