Norfolk Southern will pay modest $15 million fine as part of federal settlement over Ohio derailment

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Rail Accidents News

Ohio,General News,GA State Wire

The federal government agreed to a modest $15 million fine for Norfolk Southern over last year’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department announced the agreement Thursday, two days after a federal judge signed off on the railroad’s $600 million class action settlement with residents.

FILE - Debris from a Norfolk Southern freight train lies scattered and burning along the tracks on Feb. 4, 2023, the day after it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. A federal judge has signed off Tuesday, May 21, 2024, on the $600 million class action settlement over last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio, but many people who live near East Palestine are still wondering how much they will end up with out of the deal.

The safety improvements Norfolk Southern promised to follow through on include adding about 200 more trackside detectors to spot mechanical problems. It has alsoin more than a dozen advanced inspection portals that use an array of cameras to take hundreds of pictures of every passing railcar. The railroad estimated that those improvements will cost $244 million through 2025.

Norfolk Southern officials said they believe the relatively small size of this settlement reflects how much the railroad has already done, including paying $780 million in cleanup costs and providing $107 million in aid to residents and the communities affected.

 

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