Norfolk Southern and its contractors botched the decision to blow open five vinyl chloride tank cars after last year's disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and trackside detectors that might have prevented the crash failed to accurately detect the temperature of a burning wheel bearing 20 miles beforehand, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
had said early on that an overheated bearing on one of the railcars that was not caught in time by trackside sensors had likely caused the crash. Investigative hearings since then also highlighted other possible contributors including widespread rail job cuts and rushed inspections. Investigators also delved into why officials chose to deliberately blow open the vinyl chloride cars and burn what is a key ingredient for making PVC pipes.
staff said Tuesday that no federal standards currently exist for how railroads should respond to bearing failure alarms and they recommended that the Federal Railroad Administration establish rules governing railroad responses to such alarms. They also recommended that new guidance be developed for deciding when first responders use the vent-and-burn tactic that was deployed last year and that federal standards should be developed for trackside detectors.