The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) said it is proposing major investments into rail safety and rail infrastructure as it continues to look into concerns arising from Norfolk Southern’s derailing in East Palestine, Ohio.
The department said it has called for more than $1 billion to expand the US DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) core safety efforts and improve critical rail infrastructure as part of President Joe Biden’s FY 2024 budget. That includes $273.5 million to support the agency’s railroad safety personnel, expand inspection and audit capabilities, enhance data analysis to identify the root causes of railroad safety incidents, and increase outreach and partnerships to address and eliminate threats to public safety.
Additionally, the expanded FRA budget would include $760 million for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program and the Railroad Crossing Elimination program providing more grant funding to improve nearly all facets of railroad safety, as well as $59 million for cross-cutting Research & Development to advance new rail safety technologies and practices.
The FRA said as part of its efforts to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the East Palestine derailment, it had conducted a supplemental safety assessment of the railway, looking at its overall culture and operations to target specific areas for oversight and enforcement efforts as well as to identify risks beyond the reach of current federal regulations. The US DOT is calling on the company to engage its employees and management around safety beyond its planned six-point safety plan announced March 6 following incidents in Reed, Penn.; Bessemer, Ala.; Sandusky, Ohio; East Palestine, Ohio; Springfield, Ohio; and Cleveland Ohio.
The FRA also issued a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to require railroads to provide emergency escape breathing apparatus to train employees when transporting certain hazardous materials.