I realize the people of East Palestine, Ohio, and Beaver County are upset with Norfolk Southern at this time, but there are several things you have to keep in mind in evaluating the recent train accident.
Railroads are 16 times safer than trucks in hauling hazardous materials, and accidents of this magnitude are relatively rare. The costs of items made from hazardous materials would be prohibitive if they were not hauled by railroads.
The rail tank cars that carry hazardous materials are designed specifically to withstand most accidents. Already, the National Transportation Safety Board has determined that there is a design flaw in the tank cars that caused the pressure relief valves to malfunction and warranted the controlled burn-off of the vinyl chloride in lieu of a violent explosion.
The NTSB will make a very fair assessment of the cause and make recommendations to lawmakers and Federal Railroad Administration for regulation that avoids future occurrences. Railroads will be mandated to comply with their recommendations and regulation changes. Recommendations to tank car manufacturers will come out of the accident investigation, as well.
East Palestine and Beaver County, I think Norfolk Southern will continue to be a good neighbor to your communities. Norfolk Southern and its predecessors have employed many current and past residents and has been a responsible neighbor and taxpayer since the 1800s in your communities. There are very upstanding people in the company management, and they have a reputation of solid integrity.
Jim Young
Avalon
The writer is retired from Norfolk Southern.