America is off track when it comes to train safety

Three months after a 50-car train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, many residents are still living in hotels.

Are these just coincidental? No. They are symptoms of a wider crisis.

Trucking and train travel is becoming dangerous business at a time when all eyes should be on our critical infrastructure.

Since 2015, the U.S. rail system “has been responsible for 106 derailments in which hazardous materials were released,” according to Federal Railway Administration data analyzed by The Hill. As users of the goods that freight trains carry, as travelers and as residents of the towns and cities where trains transit, we all deserve to know who or what is driving the chaos.

Financial priorities over safety

The accident in East Palestine, Ohio, that forced a controlled burn of toxic materials is a case study in money versus safety. It happened against the backdrop of Norfolk Southern encountering more accidents year over year, according to its own reporting. A month after the East Palestine accident, a second train de-railed in Ohio, but without a chemical spill.

Yet, financially, Norfolk Southern and other railroads are doing quite well for their shareholders. Last year, Norfolk Southern earned over $3 billion. It invested close to $2 billion in railway and operations, according to The New York Times — up a third from 2021 — but paid shareholders double that in earnings, leaving many to question whether money is driving the industry with the goal of pleasing Wall Street instead of securing Main Street.

Workforce cuts

Closely related to prioritizing profits is shedding jobs.

America’s railroad industry has had its workforce decimated over the past decade, which officials say has contributed to the lack of preparedness for COVID and the supply chain ripple effects that followed, as well as the increase in accident rates.

The AFL-CIO estimates that major freight railroads have eliminated roughly one-third of their workers over the past six years with companies shifting to running fewer, longer trains with smaller crews.

At CSX, for example, one of the major rail companies, the number of employees dropped by one-third over the past 10 years while its stock is up over 300 percent since the end of 2011.

Part of the drive is to replace workers with technological systems like Precision Scheduling Railroading and other new ways to avoid paying wages. But like all industries, skilled labor still matters.

Regulatory environment

Adding to the toxic mix of problems plaguing railroads are the regulatory battles in a divided Congress. Years of arguments over bills designed to impose safety equipment like electronically controlled pneumatic brakes led to delays in implementing such enhancements. Labor disputes and a constant threat of strikes have demoralized the transit workforce.

So how do we fix what is broken?

Bipartisanship is one way to get American back on the right track.

President Joe Biden, along with bipartisan members of Congress, did pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill last year, including $110 billion for improving railroads.

There is also a 2023 Railway Safety Act ready to be passed that includes increases for safety fines, requiring two-person crews, and new rules for transporting hazardous materials. We need strong leadership on rail safety on the Hill, in the White House and at the corporate levels.

Trains are a major part of American history and life, projecting our national strength and story. The building of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 connected the east and west of America and created commerce and a sense of national confidence. We cannot cede train territory to other nations.

High-speed trains are being built in much of the developed world, but America is behind the curve. China, for example, has built around 26,000 miles of dedicated high-speed railways since 2008, with another 43,000 miles planned by 2035. Meanwhile the United States has “just 375 route-miles of track cleared for operation at over 100 miles per hour.” (A high-speed bullet train project in California went off the rails due to political fights and cost estimates that became impractical.)

Americans rely on trains for personal travel, goods and services and a sense of community. We are turning back to train travel after a global pandemic that reduced it by 70 percent, according to the International Union of Railways. For the sake of commerce, tourism and safe travel, America must get its railroads performing at a high level of quality and safety. We made a huge investment in this industry long ago. Let’s protect it.

Tara D. Sonenshine served as U.S. undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.