Railroads and regulators thwart safety fixes for years, costing lives
Human errors and track defects caused more than 3,000 rail accidents over the last decade, killing 23 people and injuring nearly 1,200. Yet federal railroad regulators failed to implement most of the safety recommendations that emerged from the accident investigations.
The Wisconsin village with more derailments than gas stations
At least nine trains have derailed in Wisconsin in 10 years. The occurrence of two so close in time and location moved Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., to demand Canadian Pacific Kansas City take “immediate action” to improve track conditions.
Collision course: Animals killed on Canada’s railways
Trains regularly hit wildlife but poor reporting obscures the true toll — and a government document warns railway companies ‘are impossible to work with’
Railway collisions are killing B.C. wildlife. These people are trying to reduce them.
Bears and other wildlife are regularly being killed in collisions with trains in B.C. In partnership with The Narwal, CBC’s Jackie McKay breaks down the the efforts to lower that number.
Researchers designed an alert to prevent trains from killing animals. Why aren’t we using it?
Wildlife deaths on Canada’s railways are tracked inconsistently and remain largely unresolved. Researchers say an early warning system could give grizzlies, elk and other animals the seconds they need to survive
A dangerous road for B.C. wildlife is getting safer — fence by fence, passage by passage
Every year, thousands of animals are killed on roads and highways. Through carefully designed fences and underpasses, conservation efforts are creating safer corridors and helping ecosystems recover
PRIVATE TRACKS: How Wall Street is Reshaping the Railroad Industry
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.
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.
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.
Two years after derailment, trains with toxic chemicals still roll through East Palestine
After a Norfolk Southern train derailment spewed a toxic cloud that drove thousands in East Palestine from their homes, freight trains with the same chemicals central to that disaster roll through town — with few steps taken by lawmakers to prevent another disaster.
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