1416 ET - The railroad industry should do more to prevent wheel bearing failures and federal regulators should establish rules on alarm and alert levels of wayside detectors and the spacing of these detectors, says The National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB made these recommendations following an investigation of a train derailment that released toxic chemicals in a small Ohio town last year. "The absence of fatality or injury doesn't mean a presence of safety," says Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB. A Norfolk Southern mixed-freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio last year due to an overheated wheel bearing. Trackside sensors and alerts about temperature thresholds, voluntarily determined by the railroads themselves, did not alert train crew in time to prevent the derailment. (esther.fung@wsj.com; @estherfung)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 25, 2024 14:16 ET (18:16 GMT)
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