Congress and federal regulators should take steps to protect the public and railroad workers as railroads continue to rely on longer freight trains, according to a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Regulators and lawmakers should also address the impact of longer trains on Amtrak’s passenger service, the report said, and study whether longer trains create more disruptions for highway traffic.
The study began before last year’s train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, focused national attention on railroad safety. But it notes that the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in the small town last year was 9,300 feet long.
Accident rates have increased at the four largest Class 1 railroads in relation to average train length, and Norfolk Southern’s accident rate had the largest increase the fastest, the report said, although it didn’t specify which years the accident rate increased.
