NTSB Chair visits Norfolk Southern
headquarters to discuss company's progress on safety
initiatives
ATLANTA, July 10,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation
(NYSE: NSC) today endorsed the national safety policy
recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board as
part of the agency's investigation of the 2023 East Palestine
derailment. The recommendations align with safety initiatives
currently underway at the railroad designed around the principles
of accident prevention, mitigation, and response.
During her visit today, Chair Jennifer
Homendy met with senior leadership to discuss Norfolk
Southern's progress in implementing safety initiatives aligned to
the NTSB report. She addressed more than 80 operational leaders
during the railroad's Safety Summit, a three-day seminar bringing
together labor leaders and field supervisors to enhance the
company's safety culture. She also toured Norfolk Southern's
Network Operations Center and experienced a demonstration of
RapidSOS, a technology designed to deliver immediate consist
information to first responders.
"We have a deep respect for Chair Homendy and the important work
of the NTSB. We appreciate her leadership, willingness to
collaborate with us on next steps, and direct engagement with our
operational leaders," said Alan H.
Shaw, President and CEO of Norfolk Southern. "Norfolk
Southern and the NTSB share the same goal when it comes to safety.
We're committed to taking action that addresses their
recommendations and to becoming the gold standard of safety for the
industry."
The NTSB national safety policy recommendations include
initiatives to improve the performance of defect detection systems,
modernize the nationwide tank car fleet carrying certain types of
hazardous materials, and quickly put critical real-time information
in the hands of emergency responders. Norfolk Southern continues to
support the goal of enacting bipartisan legislation that advances
safety in the rail industry, including those safety policy
initiatives aligned with the NTSB recommendations.
Over the last 16 months Norfolk Southern led the industry in
implementing many safety enhancements and technologies that align
with the NTSB recommendations. The company has:
- Become the first railroad to partner with RapidSOS, a digital
platform that connects devices over 16,000 emergency response
agencies to immediately provide first responders with real-time
access to train consists, train locations, and emergency response
protocols.
- Continued to advocate for more expedited phasing out of DOT-111
tank cars than federal regulations have provided given our role as
a common carrier under which we are obligated to accept DOT-111
tank cars.
- Announced the formation of a Vent and Burn Workgroup—an element
of the recent settlement with DOJ and U.S. EPA pending court
approval—to assess current practices and protocols to improve
coordination for future events where a vent and burn may be
necessary. Norfolk Southern, with input from the Workgroup, will
develop a Vent and Burn Coordination Procedure that could serve as
an industry standard.
- Launched and implemented a Six-Point Safety Plan including:
- Installing 187 out of a planned 250+ additional hot bearing
detectors, reducing core network average distance between detectors
to approximately 12 miles;
- Quadrupling acoustic bearing detectors;
- Developing and deploying Digital Train Inspection Portals,
using ultra-high-resolution cameras and machine vision; and
- Investing in next-generation inspection technology.
- Continued to invest significant resources in training first
responders on hazmat response.
- Broke ground on a new regional first responder training center
in East Palestine, Ohio and will
invest $25 million in the new
center.
- Continued to provide classroom and online resources, tabletop
drills, and full-scale exercises to help responders prepare for
incidents through our OAR program.
- Participated in industry efforts to help communities develop
emergency response plans.
- In collaboration with labor unions, become the first Class I
railroad to join the FRA's Confidential Close Call Reporting
System.
- Brought in world-class safety experts, AtkinsRéalis US Nuclear
(ANS) to conduct an independent review and implement a 2-3 year
roadmap of additional safety initiatives.
Additional information is available in Norfolk Southern's 2024
Midyear Report on Safety Accomplishments and Ongoing
Initiatives.
About Norfolk Southern
Since 1827, Norfolk Southern
Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its predecessor companies have safely
moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today,
it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight
transportation network. Committed to furthering sustainability,
Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid approximately 15 million
tons of yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. Its dedicated
team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from
agriculture to consumer goods, and Norfolk Southern originates more
automotive traffic than any other Class I Railroad. Norfolk
Southern also has the most extensive intermodal network in the
eastern U.S. It serves a majority of the country's population and
manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port
on the Atlantic coast as well as major ports in the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes. Learn more by
visiting www.NorfolkSouthern.com.
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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation