Norfolk Southern Train Derailment in East Palestine, Ohio

What happened?

On 3 February 2023, Norfolk Southern (NS) freight train 32N derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The nearly two-mile-long train was composed of 150 cars, 20 of which contained hazardous materials. Just before 9pm ET, 38 cars derailed, including 11 containing hazardous materials. Three of those tank cars containers were damaged in the accident, fueling a fire that damaged an additional 12 cars.¹

According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Office of Railroad Safety, the probable cause of this accident was a failed journal bearing, or roller bearing. This component of a train holds the weight of a locomotive, wrapping around the axle that holds the frame of the train car. Journal bearings are subjected to a great amount of heat that can cause issues with disintegration.

In the FRA’s report on the incident, Norfolk Southern’s procedures governing how information from hot box detectors was used and communicated to train crews, in addition to the staffing levels “may have been contributing factors to the cause of the accident.”

The community of East Palestine continues to be impacted by the derailment. According to an article published by the Associated Press in 2024 by Josh Funk and Patrick Orsagos, “Some people still report respiratory problems, rashes or headaches, or say they feel ill whenever they return to the village not far from the Pennsylvania border. At least several dozen haven’t returned to their homes, concerned about chemicals like the vinyl chloride that was released and burned when officials blew open five derailed tank cars because they worried the cars might explode.”²

What were the costs?

According to a report compiled by the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, the total estimated annualized loss is approximately $1.8 million for government costs; the total annualized household loss during this time is estimated at $10.3 million; and the cost to Norfolk Southern in their response to the derailment amounts to approximately $4 million.³ 

However, it’s important to note that the full costs of both life and property are still unknown. “Experts say it will likely take years and extensive research to understand the derailment’s health implications. They note it’s simply not possible to say yet how many cancers or chronic respiratory conditions might develop down the road.”²

The need for investment in NDT personnel 

This accident demonstrates the importance of investing in NDT personnel and processes to prevent the economic and human toll that accidents such as this derailment cause. In an article that ASNT CEO Neal Couture contributed to The Hill, he noted, “The train derailments across the United States are an illustration that having rail industry NDT professionals with specialized qualifications, training and certification in emerging nondestructive testing methods and advanced techniques is absolutely vital. This must also be an element of the conversation around the mitigation of rail accidents and train derailments.”⁴

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Sources: 

1. Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Railroad Safety. Accident Investigation Summary Report HQ-2023-1813: Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NS) East Palestine, OH – Derailment, February 3, 2023. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, July 19, 2024.
   https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2024-07/Accident_Investigation_Summary_Report_HQ-2023-1813_7.19.24.pdf

2. PBS NewsHour. “A Year After a Train Derailment in Ohio Spilled Hazardous Chemicals, Health Fears Persist for East Palestine.” PBS NewsHour, February 2, 2024.
   https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/a-year-after-a-train-derailment-in-ohio-spilled-hazardous-chemicals-health-fears-persist-for-east-palestine

3. Schnoke, Molly; Lendel, Iryna; Yochum, Jack; Driscoll, Shannon; Saneda, Matt; Figueroa, Georgina Guadalupe; and Isler, Mary, "The Economic Consequences of the East Palestine Train Derailment" (2023). All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications. 0 1 2 3 1788. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/1788

4. Neal Couture. “To Reduce Train Derailments, Invest in Personnel.” The Hill, March 27, 2023.
   https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/3920584-to-reduce-train-derailments-invest-in-personnel/