NS completes soil excavation at derailment site; negotiates sick leave with BRS

Norfolk Southern Railway late last week completed excavation of impacted soil beneath the removed south track and will complete the track restoration in the coming days at the site of its Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

In February, NS announced plans to excavate the soil beneath the set of tracks at the derailment site after hearing from the community. Completing the soil excavation marks a "milestone in the remediation process — and we will not stop until the job is done safely and thoroughly," NS President and CEO Alan Shaw said in a press release.

The track remediation is part of the larger effort by NS to fully restore the derailment site in East Palestine. With the completion of the south track, remediation work on the north track is expected to begin this week.

Meanwhile, NS yesterday announced it has reached an agreement calling for additional paid sick leave with the Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen.

The agreement would allow BRS members who work for NS to take up to seven days of paid sick leave per year. The agreement will immediately provide about 900 signal employees with four new days of paid sick leave per year while also offering them the option to use up to three additional days of existing paid time off as sick leave, NS officials said in a press release.

In total, 10 of NS’ 12 unions, or 6,900 railroad workers, now have access to paid sick leave.