NTSB updates preliminary information on East Palestine derailment

Workers and equipment around burned out tank cars

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has updated its preliminary information on the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment and fire in East Palestine, Ohio, revising the count of cars that derailed to 38 and providing a link to an Environmental Protection Agency list of what those cars were carrying. In all, the train included […]

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Norfolk Southern plans wells to monitor groundwater as part of East Palestine remediation

Burned out tank cars and standing water around derailment site. East Palestine street along NS main line to reopen Monday.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Norfolk Southern will install wells to monitor groundwater as part of its ongoing efforts to manage fallout from the Feb. 3 derailment and fire involving toxic chemicals in East Palestine, according to the remedial action plan released by the company. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports the railroad will also engage in soil […]

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East Palestine plans town hall meeting on derailment

Burned out tank cars and tank truck in muddy area

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The Village of East Palestine will hold an informational town hall meeting on Wednesday regarding followup to the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment, Mayor Trent Conaway has announced. The 7 p.m. meeting at the East Palestine High School Auditorium will be an opportunity for residents and those in the surrounded area […]

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Rail traffic resumes, cleanup continues in East Palestine

Aerial view of derailment cleanup and track work

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Trains are running again through East Palestine, Ohio, although the village’s mayor isn’t too pleased with the way operations resumed. WKYC-TV reports Norfolk Southern began operations on its main Cleveland-Pittsburgh line through East Palestine Wednesday evening, to the displeasure of Mayor Trent Conaway, who said he had been told trains would […]

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Norfolk Southern to pay fine for coal spill in 2020 derailment

Norfolk Southern logo

SALEM, Va. — Norfolk Southern will pay a $27,300 fine for a coal spill into the Roanoke River resulting from a 2020 derailment, the Roanoke Times reports. The agreement between NS and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality stems from an Oct. 30, 2020, derailment of 26 hopper cars that sent 12 cars into the […]

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More lawsuits filed in wake of derailment

Burned out tank cars and tank truck in muddy area

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Two additional class-action lawsuits have been filed in the wake of the derailment and fire of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio. WKBN-TV reports that on Tuesday, Chase and Cheri Kinder, entities Bird Dog Hill Kennels and Stonybrook Kennel, and Pamela Taas field a lawsuit late Tuesday against NS in […]

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Evacuation order lifted in East Palestine, Ohio

Workers and equipment around burned out tank cars

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The evacuation order for those living within a mile of the site of last week’s Norfolk Southern derailment and fire has been lifted, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced this afternoon (Wednesday, Feb. 8). Residents within the evacuation zone will be offered air-quality checks of their homes, the Akron Beacon Journal reports, […]

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First lawsuit filed over Ohio derailment; evacuation continues

Black cloud of smoke above town

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The first lawsuit has been filed in the wake of last week’s derailment of a Norfolk Southern train and the subsequent fire and evacuation. WFMJ-TV reports residents and a business owner in the evacuation area have filed a class-action civil liability suit in U.S. District Court against Norfolk Southern, alleging negligence, […]

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Ohio governor says he expects Norfolk Southern to pay for costs of derailment and fire

Man gestures at video screen

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said today (Tuesday, Feb. 7) that he expects Norfolk Southern to pay for the costs related to the derailment and fire in the community on the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line. “They’re the ones who created the problem,” DeWine said in a report by the Wheeling (W.Va.) Intelligencer. “It’s […]

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Residents await word when they can return home after derailment

Aerial view of burning freight cars

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Residents evacuated after Friday’s derailment of a Norfolk Southern train now await word when they might be allowed to return home, although Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine cautioned Monday that it would not be soon. Cleanup of the 50-car derailment involving toxic chemicals is expected to begin to move forward following Monday’s […]

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Concerns over arbitration pushed Cincinnati Southern to accept NS offer

Map of rail line from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Chattanooga, Tenn.

CINCINNATI — Norfolk Southern initially offered little more than half of the current price of $1.2 billion for its proposed purchase of the municipally owned Cincinnati Southern Railway — and the prospect of arbitration ultimately pushed the Cincinnati Southern board to agree to the final figure, WVXU Radio reports. NS and the City of Cincinnati […]

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Amtrak argues against mediation in Sunset Limited case, asks STB to begin investigation

WASHINGTON — Responding to filings from the host railroads involved, Amtrak has argued against “adversarial, party-driven litigation” or mediation in its request for the Surface Transportation Board to investigate poor timekeeping by the Sunset Limited, and urged the board to open that investigation immediately. In a Feb. 3 filing, the passenger carrier argues that such […]

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