What is a derailment and what causes trains to derail?

A derailment occurs when a train runs off its rail. This can happen for several reasons, including obstructions or mechanical malfunctions in the track, weather and human error. Broken or defective railroads are one of the most common causes of derailments, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. In Ohio, investigators probing the derailment of the Norfolk Southern train, which caused no injuries, have said it was probably caused by issues on one of the rail car axles. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, on Tuesday said surveillance video shows a wheel bearing in the “final stage of overheat failure” moments before the derailment. It could take months before the NTSB makes a final determination of the cause. Some of the most devastating incidents in recent decades have been the result of human error. A 2005 derailment in Graniteville, S.C., that killed nine people and injured more than 240 after toxic chlorine gases were released, occurred after the train encountered an improperly lined switch, investigators concluded. A crew working on the track had neglected to realign the hand-operated switch. A passenger train that veered off the tracks in Philadelphia in 2015 , killing eight people and injuring more than 200, derailed after hitting a 50-mph curve at 106 mph. Investigators said the engineer thought he was entering the curve that followed, where the speed limit was 110 mph.

How often do trains derail?

About 1,000 derailments occur each year, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. The number of trains coming off their rails has been on a decline, coinciding with a reduction in miles covered by the industry. There were 1,049 such instances in 2022, out of roughly 535 million miles traveled. A decade ago, in 2013, there were 1,311 derailments, out of 748 million miles traveled. Less than 1 percent of railroad incidents that result in death occur because of a derailment, according to an analysis from the Eno Center for Transportation. The two leading causes of fatalities on America’s railroads involve trespassing on railroad property and trains colliding with vehicles. About 16 people are killed in rail crossing and trespassing incidents each week — up from 12 in 2012, according to Eno’s research . The good news is that since 1990, there has been a 60 percent decrease in railroad safety incidents, according to federal data analyzed by Eno.

What about hazmat incidents?

Chemical leaks while trains are in transit are not common. Hazardous materials were released in about 10 train incidents nationwide last year. In the past decade, releases of hazardous materials peaked at 20 in both 2018 and 2020. The number of hazmat incidents resulting from crashes or derailments across all modes of transportation fell to 80 last year, down from more than 360 a decade ago, according to records from the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The largest share of incidents — 58 of 80 last year — occurred on highways, while the second-most share occurred on railroads. It is unclear whether chemical spills were involved in each case.

What measures are in place to prevent incidents and ensure adequate response when they occur?

Regulators point to strict rules that ensure railroads are safe and that any sensitive materials are transported safely. Commercial carriers of hazardous materials follow detailed protocols regarding their shipment. Certain classes of hazardous materials can be shipped only in specially designed tank cars. Large shipments of hazardous materials are subject to special rules, including route restrictions. Railroads also set speed limits and training requirements for handling such materials. Train crew members aren’t required to have special licenses to transport hazardous products. Hazmat rail cars are required to be marked, while train crews must carry documentation of each hazmat tank and their position, as well as a manifest of materials onboard. They also must follow inspection, testing, loading and offloading procedures and have access to fire and emergency response contacts in the event of an emergency. “The U.S. Department of Transportation has long pursued a comprehensive and multifaceted regulatory, research and policy approach to ensuring the safe movement of materials classified as hazardous for transportation purposes,” said Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Warren Flatau. “Our primary goal is to prevent rail accidents that could result in a hazmat release or spill, mitigate the severity of such an event should one occur, and to ensure timely and appropriate actions by emergency responders to reduce adverse impacts on communities.”

When incidents occur, who investigates and what do investigators look for?

The NTSB is typically the lead investigator in major train derailments. Other agencies, including the Federal Railroad Administration, which has oversight of the industry, also conduct investigations. Investigations can take months — or even years — to complete and often result in recommendations for policy changes or new regulations. They can also lead to penalties for carriers. An investigation generally involves inspecting and testing track, signal systems and other infrastructure, as well as locomotives, rail cars and other equipment. Investigators interview crew and other railroad workers, as well as witnesses. An investigation also reviews a railroad’s records, including inspections, testing, maintenance, and employee training and hours of service. They retrieve and review the train’s black box data and crew communications, including actions of railroad dispatchers. In Ohio, the NTSB is getting support from the Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, while the Environmental Protection Agency is leading environmental remediation efforts. Investigators said they have identified and examined the rail car that initiated the Ohio derailment and have taken the suspected overheated wheel bearing to a Washington lab for examination. Tank cars in Ohio are being decontaminated before investigators can make a thorough examination. The vinyl chloride tank cars’ top fittings, including the relief valves, have been removed and secured in a locked container pending NTSB examination, officials said. The NTSB has secured the locomotive event recorder data and other image recordings within the train, officials said. A preliminary report of the investigation is expected to publish in two weeks.

What are the financial costs?

Railroads face millions of dollars in damages to equipment and tracks from major incidents, and in some rare cases like in Ohio, the costs of cleanup and remediation also pile up. Costs vary depending on the severity of the derailment. Since 2015, 110 derailments nationwide that resulted in a release of hazardous materials resulted in nearly $100 million in equipment damage and more than $53 million in track damage. According to Federal Railroad Administration data, the most costly incident occurred when 11 train cars derailed from a Canadian Pacific train in Chickasaw County, Iowa, in summer 2021, releasing anhydrous ammonia and diesel. The cost to equipment and track damage was valued at nearly $9 million. The real cost, however, can be significantly steeper, considering damage response, cleanup of materials, community remediation expenses, and, in some cases, liability for injuries and fatalities and legal battles. A JPMorgan analysis of historical data of derailments involving hazardous materials concluded that, on average, Norfolk Southern’s cost per incident in the past decade was $1.2 million. But the financial services firm found six of the derailments in that period caused more than $10 million in damage, including lost goods, track and equipment damage, and response and remediation costs. Norfolk’s derailment in Harmar Township, Penn., last year, the financial firm said, cost $30.8 million and involved four tank cars releasing petroleum distillates that entered the waters.

How does train travel compare to other modes in safety?

The nation’s railways are generally considered one of the safest options for passengers and most goods. For passenger travel, the vast majority of deaths on railroads are the result of trespasser incidents. Roads are, by far, the most dangerous of transportation options, with a death rate per distance traveled that is 17 times higher than for passenger trains, according to an analysis by the National Safety Council. By some measures, freight railroads also have a better safety record for transportation goods, particularly hazardous materials. Data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which sets regulation for the transportation of hazardous materials, shows that incidents involving transportation of hazmat via highways are, by far, greater in number than via rail. The Association of American Railroads, which represents the industry, said railroads have invested more than $250 billion in the past two decades on track equipment to create a safer network. Technology including more-modern train cars, automated braking and track-monitoring systems has been deployed to enhance safety in the past decade. The full 2021 rollout of an automated braking system, known as positive train control (PTC), mandated by the federal government, is viewed as one of the most consequential investments in rail safety. PTC is designed to take human error out of operating a train, promising to prevent catastrophic collisions and derailments caused by speeding and preventing a train from going down the wrong track if a switch is left in the wrong position.

Transportation

Derailments aren’t uncommon, but hazmat spills are rare. Here’s what we know.

By Luz Lazo

Updated February 17, 2023 at 1:53 p.m. EST|Published February 17, 2023 at 11:16 a.m. EST

After a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, portions were still on fire the next day. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

9 min

It’s been two weeks since a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in northeastern Ohio, bursting into flames and spilling a flammable gas near a small town. Federal investigators are working to determine what caused the Feb. 3 derailment, which prompted evacuation orders and set off a public health scare.

Images showing a fireball and billowing smoke rising into the sky over decoupled rail cars have increasingly raised questions in recent days: Are the nation’s railways safe?

According to experts and federal rail incident data, such occurrences involving hazmat releases are rare. Industry-wide, derailments themselves aren’t uncommon, but most don’t result in injuries or environmental disasters. When a major incident occurs, however, it can take a significant toll on communities and take years to recover.

The Ohio train derailment and chemical spill

The latest: Norfolk Southern has agreed to improve safety for workers cleaning up at the Ohio derailment site. The DOJ is also suing Norfolk Southern over the toxic train derailment. Senators questioned Norfolk Southern’s CEO on rail safety records as Ohio is suing the freight company.

What are the health risks of the chemical spill? One toxic gas, vinyl chloride, was burned after the derailment, sending various toxins and chemicals into the air. The EPA is handling the disaster response.

The politics: Amid a partisan divide over the disaster response, former president Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited the derailment site.

Who is impacted? The Biden administration is taking heat for not doing enough to help, while Ohio residents are angry after Norfolk Southern backed out of a town hall addressing the response. The derailment also killed more than 43,000 aquatic animals in the area. Here’s what to know about the derailment’s toxic plume.