A federal judge approved a $600 million class-action settlement that Norfolk Southern railroad offered to everyone who lived within 20 miles of last year’s derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

OMAHA, Neb. — As freight trains have grown longer, the U.S. has seen an increase in the number of a certain type of derailment, the National Academies of Sciences said.

Very few people who live near the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment opted out of a $600 million class action settlement.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The NTSB confirmed that a trackside detector failed to detect accurate elevated temperatures in a railcar bearing that was on fire 20 miles away from where it derailed. 

Attorneys General from 13 states signed a letter to the DOT supporting a proposal to require railroads to make information about hazardous materials on trains available to emergency responders.

A broken rail caused a train derailment that collapsed a bridge over I-25 in Colorado, killing a truck driver, federal authorities said Oct. 17, based on their preliminary investigation.

President Joe Biden ordered federal agencies to continue holding Norfolk Southern accountable for its February derailment in eastern Ohio and appoint a FEMA official to oversee East Palestine’s recovery, but he still stopped short of declaring a disaster.

OMAHA, Neb. — Norfolk Southern made recent improvements but is nowhere near the “gold standard for safety” it is striving to be, according to federal regulators.

Freight railcar inspections are happening less often and are not as thorough as in the past due to staff cuts, time constraints and regulatory loopholes, a union official testified June 23.

Congressional transportation policymakers are considering legislation meant to enhance safety and efficiency operations along freight rail corridors.