COLUMBUS – Norfolk Southern says it plans to improve the use of detectors along the tracks that are supposed to spot overheating bearings and other problems in the wake of the fiery derailment in East Palestine a month ago and three others in Ohio in the last five months.
The company said Monday it would evaluate the distance between such “hot bearing” detectors and anticipates adding about 200.
The railroad operator said the first ones would be installed just west of East Palestine, where a Feb. 3 derailment forced half the town to evacuate as toxic chemicals burned.
The National Transportation Safety Board has said the crew operating the train that derailed Feb. 3 outside the town near the Pennsylvania border got a warning from such a detector but couldn’t stop the train before more than three dozen cars came off the tracks and caught fire.
The company also pledged to install more acoustic bearing detectors and review all of its standards and practices.
On Saturday afternoon, 28 cars of a Norfolk Southern cargo train derailed in Ohio between Dayton and Columbus and prompted a temporary shelter-in-place order, but officials said the derailment did not involve any hazardous materials, although the 212-car train also had cars containing liquid propane and ethanol that didn’t derail.
DeWine asks FEMA for disaster declaration extension
Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday submitted a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency requesting a 120-day extension to submit a request for a major disaster declaration.
DeWine announced his intent to file for the extension on February 17, 2023, after determining that the East Palestine disaster did not qualify for traditional FEMA aid.
This extension would ensure that East Palestine can receive assistance from FEMA should the derailment qualify for traditional FEMA aid in the future.