Rail Safety Promises Post-Ohio Crash See Limited Progress: An In-Depth Look
In the wake of a devastating train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, freight railroads made commitments to enhance safety measures. Their pledge involved joining a federal program designed to allow employees to report mistakes anonymously. Despite these commitments, progress has been limited, with only two railroads initiating pilot programs.
In February 2023, the East Palestine train derailment resulted in a toxic cloud over the town, prompting major freight railroads to vow participation in the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS), a federal safety initiative. However, as of now, just two major freight railroads, BNSF and Norfolk Southern, have taken initial steps by launching pilot programs.
The National Transportation Safety Board has long advocated for a system where railroad employees can report errors or near misses without fear of retribution. This approach, already successful in other industries, aims to enhance safety by understanding and correcting potential hazards. Since its inception in 2014, the program has seen participation from Amtrak and 23 smaller railroads but not the larger freight companies.
Leslie Radanovich, who manages system safety at Metrolink, emphasized the importance of C3RS, stating, “We want to enhance safety by providing to our employees a way to report close calls, near misses and safety concerns without any fear of retribution.” Metrolink joined the federal program in 2023, recognizing the potential for C3RS to provide a comprehensive understanding of safety issues.
Data from a federal study indicated a significant reduction in accident rates by about 20% for participating railroads. Despite this, no major freight railroad has committed beyond pilot phases, even with encouragement from federal bodies, rail unions, and lawmakers.
Jim Mathews, president of the Rail Passengers Association, highlighted the potential benefits of widespread adoption, noting, “So think about how much better and how much safer it could be if we could add all of those 120,000 employees into the mix and all of those operations of hundreds and hundreds of trains a day all across the country.” Unfortunately, efforts to integrate the larger railroads into C3RS were halted when a federal working group disbanded this spring.
Following the East Palestine incident, all six major freight railroads committed to joining the Close Call program. However, only BNSF and Norfolk Southern have moved forward with pilot projects. Scott Bunten, a general chairman at one of the largest rail unions, is involved in the Norfolk Southern pilot in Roanoke, Virginia. Bunten explained that the public has a vested interest in C3RS, stating, “You know, we go through a lot of people’s backyards on the railroad.”
He noted that the pilot has already led to improvements such as clearing vegetation obstructing signals and installing barriers to prevent trespassing. However, he stressed the necessity of mutual commitment from both workers and management for the program’s success, saying, “I can’t force them to be in it. They can’t force me to be in it. So it’s got to be a collective effort, and I don’t want it to be one-sided.”
Expanding the program to encompass all railroads and workers could potentially prevent incidents similar to the East Palestine crash. “We’ve put a lot into it, and I think it’s paid dividends for everybody involved. And if it ends, it would be a shame,” Bunten remarked.
None of the major freight railroads have agreed to discuss C3RS in interviews. However, BNSF and Norfolk Southern have indicated, through statements, that they will continue to assess the pilot programs. For NPR, I’m Kate Kelly.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
