Now is the Time to Update Rail Safety and Connectivity

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, in the past five months, we have seen three major Norfolk Southern train derailments in Ohio, including one that occurred in my district, and another which traveled right through the heart of my district in northwest Ohio before it burst into flames in East Palestine.

It's been more than a month since that Norfolk Southern train disaster in East Palestine, Ohio. Twenty of the 38 railcars that derailed were carrying dangerous chemicals; now hundreds of Ohio and Pennsylvania families are rightfully frightened that their water is contaminated. Since then, another train derailed 28 railcars in Springfield, Ohio. Thankfully no hazardous contaminants spilled.

These accidents follow a dangerous 21-car Norfolk Southern derailment last October in Sandusky--in my district. There, paraffin wax spilled onto the street and washed into and clogged the town's sewer system. For nearly five months the vital main artery into Sandusky remained impassable, and Norfolk Southern has not cleaned it up.

In northern Ohio, rail is the spine of our economy. To compete in a global economy and avoid expensive supply chain delays, industrial and agricultural America should think big about modern rail. Improving rail safety, giving people more transportation options, and expanding access to national and global markets are critical to our nation's future.

But that sort of thinking is not happening. Indeed, we're not even getting rail safety right, and that should be the floor, not the ceiling. Norfolk Southern repairs lag at many main arteries, including the one between Toledo and Sandusky.

There's no reason for this other than pure greed. Over the past four years, Norfolk Southern has reaped more than $31 billion in profits. You would think it would invest even a relatively small part of that enormous profit to protect its workers, its host communities, and the general public so that such disasters would not happen. But you'd be wrong.

The derailments in Sandusky and in East Palestine were not isolated events. In 2022, the Federal Railroad Administration reported more than 1,000 instances of trains derailing. Since last October's Sandusky crash, I've tried to reach Norfolk Southern's CEO. I want to discuss the bipartisan infrastructure law that Congress passed last summer. My colleagues and I want to hear his ideas for rail improvements across America's northern corridor from Pittsburgh through East Palestine, Sandusky, Toledo, and west to Illinois.

Members of Congress, both Democrat and Republican, representing this congested corridor are eager to address aging rail infrastructure, increased traffic, and easement separation of freight and passenger service. Yet Norfolk Southern 's leadership won't even return our calls.

The stakes are too high for more delay. America's northern rail corridor is a critical access point for goods from Canada, our largest trading partner; it's equally critical for getting goods to and from our ports, which enable America to ship goods all over the world--and helped rejuvenate our auto and steel industry.

With the bipartisan infrastructure law funds, it's time to bring together rail workers, railroad executives, regional transit authorities, and state and federal agencies to discuss how to use this money. How do we ensure higher safety levels? What's the right mix of passenger and freight rail? Should we use smart cars with electric track or focus on traditional heavy rail? Should we elevate our trains or run them on the ground? These are just a few questions that need answers.

We need to connect to Detroit and Canada. We need to connect Detroit and Toledo to the deep-water ports along the Atlantic that allow for year-round container shipments. Providing our landlocked region steady access to deep-water ports would be a game-changer for America's industrial corridor. Addressing the very real health and safety issues for the impacted workers, residents, and communities in and around Sandusky and East Palestine is the immediate priority.

We must also look to the future and come together to protect workers and deliver transformative and safe commercial and passenger rail solutions. The tools are at our disposal. The money is there. And the time is now. Let's do what we in the industrial Midwest do best: let's get to work.

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