Norfolk Southern train wrecks in Ohio raise concern about whether it could happen in Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Another Norfolk Southern train derailment on Saturday is intensifying the spotlight on train safety across the country.
The latest wreck in Springfield, Ohio happened just a month after a derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that involved hazardous materials and forced hundreds of nearby residents to evacuate for several days. The East Palestine derailment happened on Feb. 3.
Of the 38 cars that derailed in East Palestine, about 10 contained hazardous materials. Hundreds of residents were evacuated, and crews later conducted a controlled release of toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, because of the risk that the derailment could cause an explosion.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey asked Monday what local authorities are doing in the Chicago area to prevent a similar catastrophe.
Cook County is home to 39 hazardous material shippers. That is about four times more than any other county in Illinois.
The Environmental Law & Policy Center – an environmental advocacy nonprofit - says inspection records paint a pretty good picture across the state. But there is room for improvement.
"It was painful to watch that black plume engulfing the community," said Kevin Brubaker, deputy director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
It's hard to see the derailment scene in East Palestine – which involved a 150-car train bursting into 100-foot toxic flames - without wondering, could it happen here?
"We're a big industrial hub," Brubaker said, "so we make a lot of dirty stuff that has to move."
Brubaker said we should be particularly aware of the dangers.
"This is the only place where all of the nation's major railroads converge on each other," he said, "so it's a hugely important issue here."
Fortunately, recent inspections data is pretty good. The Illinois Commerce Commission (or ICC) has railroad safety inspectors that conduct frequent field checks.
According to the most recent data reviewed by the CBS 2 Investigators, of the 11,884 rail cars inspected in 2021, the ICC found violations in just 0.8 percent of all inspections.
That is a massive improvement from the early 1980s, when violations were found about 12 percent of the time.
Brubaker says those stats are much better than truck transportation.
"To put that in some perspective, one out of every five trucks fails a safety inspection," Brubaker said. "More than 1,000 people a year die in truck-related accidents."
But Brubaker says that if drivers feel like they're waiting longer and longer at railroad crossings — that's because they are. He says longer trains have been a cost-cutting measure.
The East Palestine train was about two miles long.
In the wake of the East Palestine derailment in February, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said, "We need to look at this, and Congress needs to take a look at how these things are handled.
Brubaker agrees.
"I think Congress should be looking at how long a train really can be," he said. "I think Congress should be looking at how many crew members should be on board."
Brubaker says a federal safety rule aimed at upgrading the industry's ancient braking systems should also be reinstated.
"It would be expensive," he said. "It's also expensive to clean up east Palestine."
The Illinois Commerce Commission said they're going to be looking for any and all insights from the National Transportation Safety Board on the incident in East Palestine — as they could help Illinois and other states to review their training and response. This is the ICC's full statement:
<blockquote>"The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) takes all matters of safety seriously. To help prevent hazmat disasters, our railroad safety inspectors conduct frequent field checks on railroads, at rail yards, and industrial shipper facilities to evaluate signals, track structure, operating practices, and hazardous materials transported by rail. Of the nearly 12,000 rail cars inspected in 2021, the ICC found violations in 0.8 percent of all inspections.
"This data from our annual Hazardous Material reporting also helps the ICC to understand the types, size, and causes for any hazmat releases in Illinois and ultimately, better inform our safety practices. To keep communities safe in the unlikely event of a derailment, our Rail Safety Inspectors also partner with Illinois Emergency Management Agency to offer technical aid to nearby emergency responders and help investigate what caused the incident.
"In the coming weeks, the ICC is eager to see any available information from the National Transportation Safety Board on the emergency response for the incident in East Palestine, as the insights could help Illinois and other states to review training and response protocols."</blockquote>
