Train derailments and toxic spills: Even after multiple disasters, America’s railroads largely police themselves

This report was produced by Evident Media, in partnership with the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University and the University of Maryland. Evident Media is a nonprofit news organization producing in-depth video journalism for the public good. Subscribe to Evident Media on its YouTube page here for more visual investigations. 

In the United States, railroads answer largely to themselves. They inspect their own sprawling network of tracks and bridges, with little federal oversight and no public access to their inspection records.

That secrecy shields warnings of structural decay, looming bridge failures, and the potential for catastrophic spills — even as trains loaded with hazardous cargo roll through communities every day.

Meanwhile the public remains in the dark about risks, even as dangerous cargo is shipped across the country daily. An analysis of trains moving on rail line sections from the U.S.-Canada border to West Texas showed hazardous material moved within a mile of more than 2.5 million people.