VIDEO: Peters Presses Norfolk Southern CEO on Company’s Apparent Failure to Meet Safety Inspection Standards

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) – a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and Chair of the Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports – pressed Norfolk Southern’s CEO Alan Shaw on the company’s apparent failure to meet current Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) inspection regulations. Peters presented a document from a Norfolk Southern employee, which details that there are rail cars operating on trains, some of which are heading into Michigan, that have traveled thousands of miles without inspections required by law. As a result, Peters pushed Shaw on how Norfolk Southern appears to be operating trains that have not been sufficiently inspected and if the company has an internal standard on how many miles a train can travel without a full mechanical inspection.

“Over the past few months, Michiganders have seen multiple Class I railroad derailments in our state, leading to rail cars hanging off the side of a bridge in the City of Detroit, days long passenger rail delays and near misses of hazmat incidents,” said Senator Peters. “Michiganders are watching what’s happening in East Palestine, and are rightly demanding that we do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again – and I'm certainly committed to do that…”

“…I received data yesterday that indicates that Norfolk Southern is not yet living up to that commitment, a document that I received, which I have right here before me,” Peters continued. “The document I received shows data from Norfolk Southern’s own internal servers, that there are dozens of rail cars operating on trains, some of which are heading into my state of Michigan, that have gone over 5,000 miles without a Class I brake inspection. That's thousands of miles above what the Federal Railroad Administration regulations require. Moreover, the documents show that over 100 cars have gone over 10,000 miles, and in one case, 90,000 miles without a mechanical inspection.”

To watch Peters’ exchange with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, click here or below.

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