Norfolk Southern CEO Tells Congress He’s “Deeply Sorry” About the Ohio Train Derailment

The accident in Norfolk Southern didn’t hurt anyone, but state and local officials decided to release toxic vinyl chloride from five tank trucks and burn it, resulting in the evacuation of half of East Palestine, Ohio’s roughly 5,000 residents.

Puffs of smoke hanging over the village and residents’ outcry that they were still suffering from illnesses have brought rail safety and the transport of hazardous materials into the spotlight at the highest level.

“I am deeply sorry for the impact this lapse has had on the people of eastern Palestine and the surrounding communities, and I am committed to doing it right,” said Alan Shaw, CEO of Norfolk Southern, in prepared remarks released Wednesday, were released a day before a Senate committee on the environment and public works hearing.

The railroad has so far pledged more than $20 million to help the Ohio community recover and announced several voluntary safety improvements. But senators have promised an urgent investigation into the derailment, the company’s safety practices and emergency response after 38 railcars overturned. And federal authorities have also said Norfolk Southern needs to do more to improve safety.

“I want to hear what they did wrong, what mistakes they made,” said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., the chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee. “There has been a range of criticism of what they have done and that he is responding to that criticism in the record.”

The catastrophe in East Palestine, as well as a number of other recent train derailments, have sparked a demonstration of bipartisanship in the Senate. The committee will also hear on Thursday from Ohio and Pennsylvania senators — one Republican and two Democrats — pushing new safety regulations called the Railway Safety Act of 2023.