Preliminary report from National Transportation Safety Board
Norfolk Southern train derailment, East Palestine, Ohio, 2-3-2023
[Source: Railway Track & Structures, 2-23-2023]
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, 38 rail cars of Norfolk Southern train 32N derailed on No. 1 main track of the NS Fort Wayne line of the Keystone division in East Palestine. Eleven cars were carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited, fueling fires that damaged an additional 12 non-derailed rail cars.
First-responders implemented a one-mile evacuation zone surrounding the derailment site that affected up to 2,000 residents. There were no reported fatalities or injuries.
At the time of the accident, visibility conditions were dark and clear; the weather was 10 degrees F with no precipitation.
The 149-car train included two head-end locomotives and one distributed power locomotive located between rail cars 109 and 110. The consist included 20 placarded hazardous materials tank cars transporting combustible liquids, flammable liquids, and flammable gas, including vinyl chloride.
The speed limit on that portion of the line was 50 MPH. The train was traveling about 47 MPH at the time of the derailment.
The train was operating with a dynamic brake application as the train passed a wayside defect detector at milepost 49.81.4 on the east side of Palestine, Ohio. The detector transmitted a critical audible alarm message instructing the crew to slow and stop the train to inspect a hot axle. The locomotive engineer increased the dynamic brake application to further slow and stop the train. During this deceleration, an automatic emergency brake application initiated, and the train came to a stop.
After the train stopped, the crew observed fire and smoke, and notified the dispatcher of a possible derailment. With dispatcher authorization, the crew applied handbrakes to the two rail cars at the head of the train, uncoupled the head-end locomotives, and moved them about one mile from the uncoupled rail cars.
Responders arrived at the derailment site and began response efforts.
Surveillance video from a local residence showed what appeared to be a wheel bearing in the final state of overheat failure moments before the derailment.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators examined railroad equipment and track conditions, reviewed data from the signal system, wayside defect detectors, local surveillance cameras, and the lead locomotive's event recorder and forward-facing and inward-facing image recorders, and completed interviews. They identified and examined the 23rd car in the consist, the first car to derail.
The wheel bearing and affected wheelset have been collected as evidence and will be examined. The vinyl chloride tank car top fittings, including the relief valves, were also removed and examined on scene. The top fittings will be shipped to Texas for testing.
The National Transportation Safety Board said that its future investigative activity will focus on the wheelset and bearing; tank car design and derailment damage; a review of the accident response, including the venting and burning of the vinyl chloride; railcar design and maintenance procedures and practices; Norfolk Southern's use of wayside defect detectors; and their rail car inspection practices.
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RESPONSE FROM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS:
"NTSB's deliberate and methodical approach under these challenging circumstances has been essential to establishing independent, credible findings into the cause of the accident in East Palestine. As an industry, railroads will use this initial report in shaping a thoughtful, fact-driven approach to prevent another similar accident before it can occur elsewhere.
"As stakeholders review this preliminary report, the railroads will continue to follow this ongoing investigation closely and look forward to reviewing NTSB's final report. We share a singular mission to taking meaningful steps to further improve safety."
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RESPONSE FROM BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS & TRAINMEN:
[National President Eddie Hall]:
"The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen has been assisting the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation of the recent derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. That will continue.
"Our agreement with the NTSB limits some of what we can say today. I don't want to speculate on the causes of the derailment, but I do want to emphasize a couple of items that were not raised in the preliminary report or discussed in the press conference.
"First, we were very fortunate this time that there were three crew members on this train. They were able to respond to the emergency, uncouple the locomotives from the train cars and take other action. If this had been a train operated by just one crew member, it may have taken longer to react to the fire caused by the bearings, axles and other mechanical items. It is not unusual for things to go wrong on trains, and sometimes many things. This is why it is important to have experienced engineers and conductors on board. But, despite running ever longer trains that routinely carry hazardous materials, railroad CEO's have pushed for having only one person on the train, and to even use remotely-operated trains. This is a serious mistake.
"Second, the railroads and their trade association, the Association of American Railroads, will continue to self-regulate. The Norfolk Southern Railway freight train that derailed in East Palestine was nearly two miles in length. On western railroads such as Union Pacific, where I was working as a locomotive engineer as recently as last year, trains are often three miles long. The railroads have opposed any government regulation on train length; they have sought waivers to eliminate having trained inspectors monitor rail cars; and they have pushed back on the Train Crew Staffing rule.
"Already, the Association of American Railroads and the railroads are pushing back against attempts to learn from this derailment. They are hiding behind the NTSB process and suggesting that we should wait for the final report, which is probably a year away from being issued.
"There is growing public awareness of irresponsible behavior by the railroads. Now is the time to toughen regulations on America's railroads to keep both their workers and the communities our members operate through safe."