Rail safety after East Palestine: what changed, and what it means in a rail town
The 2023 derailment in Columbiana County prompted investigations, a settlement and new state rules. Bellevue sees hundreds of rail cars a day.
On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania line. Cars carrying vinyl chloride were later vented and burned, sending a black plume over the village and forcing evacuations. In Bellevue, home to one of Norfolk Southern’s biggest yards, the disaster hit close to home.
What investigators found
The National Transportation Safety Board found that an overheated wheel bearing caused the derailment. In its final report in June 2024, the board concluded that the decision to vent and burn the vinyl chloride was not necessary, because evidence showed the cars were not about to explode.
The settlement
Norfolk Southern agreed in 2024 to a $600 million class-action settlement with residents and businesses within 20 miles of the derailment, along with separate agreements with federal and state authorities. The company has said it spent hundreds of millions more on cleanup and aid.
New rules
Ohio lawmakers added rail safety provisions to the 2023 state transportation budget, including requirements for wayside detectors that check for overheated bearings and two-person crews on most freight trains. Some provisions have faced legal challenges because rail safety is mostly regulated by federal law. A broader federal rail safety bill was introduced in Congress but did not become law.
In Bellevue
Hazardous materials travel through Bellevue every day. Local fire departments train for rail emergencies, and railroads must provide information about hazardous shipments to emergency planners. The county emergency management agencies coordinate those plans.
The rail industry may change further if the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger goes forward. For more on the yard, see our story on Bellevue’s yard jobs. More in Farm & Rail.