advertisement

---

Yesterday, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced he met with CSX Corp. Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward to discuss ways to improve rail safety.

On July 22, Durbin asked the Association of American Railroads to conduct a comprehensive review of rail industry plans and practices to ensure trains can move “safely and efficiently” throughout the nation during extreme weather events, he said in a prepared statement. Durbin also requested that the review’s findings be made available to the public, including residents of Northbrook and Glenview, Ill., where a Union Pacific Railroad train derailed and a bridge collapsed earlier this month.

Because excessive heat was cited by preliminary findings as a factor in the derailment and bridge collapse, Durbin and U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) sent a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) urging the agency to increase efforts to ensure railroads have the proper training, inspection plans and protocols to deal with excessive weather events, Durbin said. The FRA later issued a safety advisory to help ensure railroads and safety agencies are adequately inspecting tracks to identify and address areas prone to heat buckling, he said.
 
“As one of the largest railroad operators in the country, CSX has an important role to play in ensuring safety by providing the proper training, inspection plans and committed personnel to deal with excessive weather events,” Durbin said. “I will continue working with the FRA and railroads around the country to encourage them to take every precaution necessary.”