Norfolk Southern expects February’s fiery Ohio derailment to cost it $387 million, but that total will likely increase over time and that doesn’t reflect how much the Atlanta-based railroad’s insurance companies will eventually cover.
The railroad provided a detailed estimate of the cost of the Feb. 3 derailment outside East Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday when it released its first-quarter earnings report. That derailment, combined with others since then, sparked a nationwide focus on railroad safety and prompted regulators and members of Congress to propose reforms like capping the length of freight trains and setting standards for the trackside detectors railroads use to spot equipment problems.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has said during testimony in Congress that he’ll support some of the proposals like enhanced standards for tank cars, but he thinks the data doesn’t support some of the other ideas like requiring railroads to maintain two-person crews. Shaw reiterated his often-stated promise Wednesday to “do whatever it takes to make it right for East Palestine and the surrounding areas.”
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