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The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it is opening a special investigation into Norfolk Southern’s (NYSE:NSC) safety practices and culture following a series of derailments and fatal accidents involving the railroad.
“Given the number and significance of recent Norfolk Southern accidents, the NTSB also urges the company to take immediate action today to review and assess its safety practices,” the NTSB said.
The announcement came just hours after a Norfolk Southern (NSC) conductor was killed after being hit by a dump truck at a Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) worksite in Ohio, prompting the NTSB’s fifth investigation involving the railroad since December 2021.
Norfolk Southern (NSC) already was under significant scrutiny since a train jumped the tracks in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, spilling toxic chemicals; a second derailment in Ohio happened last week.
Also, a union representing Norfolk Southern (NSC) workers in Ohio warned federal regulators last year that the company repeatedly disregarded its own safety rules for screening trains, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.
CEO Alan Shaw is scheduled to testify before a U.S. Senate committee on Thursday.
Norfolk Southern’s (NSC) biggest problem is falling economic growth, not the East Palestine crisis, Leo Nelissen writes in an analysis published recently on Seeking Alpha.
