AAR outlines safety actions taken since East Palestine train derailment

The nation’s railroads have not waited for the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) final report to begin taking actions to improve freight-rail transportation safety, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced last week.

Since the NTSB released its preliminary findings in the February 2023 hazmat train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the rail industry has used that information to take “meaningful actions” that address what happened in the derailment, AAR officials said June 21. The NTSB is slated to meet tomorrow in East Palestine to release the draft of its final report and recommendations.

“While railroads will need time to review the final report, we anticipate the report will focus at least in part on bearings and wayside detectors, tank-car standards and supporting first responders. In each of these areas, the industry has responded,” AAR officials said in a press release.

Preliminary reports indicate that an overheated bearing caused the Norfolk Southern Railway train to derail in East Palestine. Decades ago, railroads voluntarily developed — and have since widely deployed — wayside detectors to help prevent such accidents. Data demonstrates they have enhanced safety, AAR officials said.

Since East Palestine, railroads have taken the below steps to further enhance the effectiveness of those detectors:
• increased the frequency of hot bearing detectors (HBDs) across key routes. Class I railroads have purchased and installed hundreds of additional HBDs across their key routes, with more to come online in 2024. These HBDs are complemented by additional existing and evolving technologies targeted at effectively identifying bearing defects;
• established a new industry standard of stopping and inspecting trains when an HBD reading exceeds 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Effective July 1, 2023, AAR rules lowered the temperature threshold from 200 degrees to 170 degrees; and
• reviewed rail carriers’ current trending analysis programs to develop uniform recommendations for proactively identifying bearings that may become problematic. On Nov. 29, 2023, railroads established a new, industry-wide trending analysis rule, informed by Railinc’s analysis of 150 algorithms used by the Class Is to pinpoint the most effective algorithm for detecting problematic bearings.

In addition, the railroads have redoubled their efforts to train first responders in how to safely respond to a train accident, AAR officials said.

Also, railroads have identified ways to improve the fire performance of tank cars and other service equipment. AAR’s tank car committee is working on enhancing standards related to bottom valve protection to increase safety, AAR officials.

To read AAR’s full statement on the industry’s safety actions since the East Palestine accident, click here.