Investment firms are quietly taking greater control over America’s railroad industry, accumulating large stock positions in railroad operators and buying up companies that lease and manage rail cars or provide an array of rail services.
The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
DOT Orders ‘Major’ Rail Bridge Reforms After Investigation
The U.S. Department of Transportation will “dramatically increase” the number of government railroad bridge inspectors — a major expansion of federal oversight — just weeks after an investigation from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University revealed railroads had largely self-inspected bridges and kept findings hidden from the public.
Railroads spurn system designed to prevent accidents
Two and a half years after a derailed train spewed toxic gases across eastern Ohio, none ofthe nation’s largest freight railroads have fulfilled promises to join a voluntary federal close call program designed to reduce rail hazards and prevent accidents.
Train derailments and toxic spills: Even after multiple disasters, America’s railroads largely police themselves
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. This visual investigation was produced by Evident Media, in partnership with the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism.
Apply safety rules to more flammable-cargo trains, lawmakers urge
Federal safety investigators and some members of Congress want to expand special safety rules that apply to trains carrying a lot of flammable material to the much larger number of trains carrying smaller amounts, saying the risk to thousands of U.S. communities is far greater than currently known.
Aging U.S. railroad bridges self-inspected, findings kept secret
With no public access to railroad inspection reports, warnings of decay, collapse and environmental spills stay hidden By Lex Doig, Jaehee Kim and Adrian Mancera Cota Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University CORVALLIS, Oregon – The fire…
Many towns unprepared for derailments, hazmat spills that can trigger fires, evacuations
A train derails and releases at least 1,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals in the U.S. about once every two months. Many communities along the rail lines aren’t prepared to keep people safe when it happens.
How you can learn more about local transportation of hazardous materials
If you’re interested in learning more about the transportation of hazardous materials through your community, here’s a quick guide to government resources and publicly available information.
About Off the Rails
The image of swirling toxic smoke and flames from a spectacular train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in 2023 has faded. But the serious questions it raised remain. Why have safety recommendations to more tightly regulate trains carrying hazardous materials…
Health, environmental concerns divide East Palestine two years after train derailment, toxic fire
After the train derailment that blanketed East Palestine in toxic fumes, Norfolk Southern has undertaken a massive cleanup operation. Still, residents complain of ongoing symptoms that they attribute to chemical exposure and question the long-term health consequences.
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