FRA 02-23

March 7, 2023

Contact: FRA Public Affairs

Tel.: (202) 493-6024 

FRAPA@DOT.gov

USDOT’s Federal Railroad Administration Announces a Supplemental Safety 

Assessment of Norfolk Southern Railway’s Operations

Secretary Buttigieg Directs Additional Action while Calling on Norfolk Southern to Reinforce Safety 

Culture with Management and Workers

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced its plan to 

conduct a 60-day supplemental safety assessment of Norfolk Southern Railway following multiple 

safety incidents. This in-depth assessment of Norfolk Southern is in addition to a number of actions 

taken by the U.S. Department of Transportation over the past several weeks to improve freight rail 

safety and accountability to protect workers and communities.

"After a series of derailments and the death of one of its workers, we are initiating this further 

supplemental safety review of Norfolk Southern, while also calling on Norfolk Southern to act urgently 

to improve its focus on safety so the company can begin earning back the trust of the public and its 

employees,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This comes as USDOT continues its 

own urgent actions to further improve freight rail safety and accountability.”

FRA’s safety team will review the findings and recommendations of the 2022 Norfolk Southern system 

audit and revisit FRA’s recommendations and the scope of the railroad’s responses. In addition, FRA 

will assess the following operational elements:

• Track, signal, and rolling stock maintenance, inspection, and repair practices;

• Protection for employees working on rail infrastructure, locomotives, and rail cars;

• Communication between transportation departments and mechanical and engineering staff;

• Operation control center procedures and dispatcher training;

• Compliance with federal Hours of Service regulations;

• Evaluating results of operational testing of employees’ execution and comprehension of all 

applicable operating rules and federal regulations;

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• Training and qualification programs available to all railroad employees, including engineer and 

conductor training and certification;

• Maintenance, inspection, and calibration policies and procedures for wayside defect detectors;

• Procedures related to all wayside defect detector alerts;

• Measures implemented to prevent employee fatigue, including the development and 

implementation of fatigue management programs required as part of FRA’s Risk Reduction 

Program (RRP) rule;

• Current status of the hazard and risk analysis required by the RRP rule.

Information collected through the supplemental safety assessment will exceed the scope of existing FRA 

audits, providing a more expansive look at Norfolk Southern’s overall safety culture and operations. The 

information gathered will be used to target specific areas for FRA’s oversight and enforcement efforts 

and help identify risks beyond the reach of current federal regulations. Finally, FRA will use the 

information collected to push the Norfolk Southern to develop measures to mitigate risks while 

identifying appropriate enforcement actions.

FRA will issue a public report on its findings. 

Concurrently, the U.S. Department of Transportation is calling on Norfolk Southern to engage its 

employees and management around safety in order to protect workers and communities following 

Norfolk Southern incidents in Reed, PA, Bessemer, AL, Sandusky, OH, East Palestine, OH, Springfield, 

OH, and Cleveland, OH. Restoring public confidence, especially in the communities in which Norfolk 

Southern operates, requires action beyond the six-point safety plan introduced on March 6. Given recent 

events, Norfolk Southern and all major freight railroads must be taking immediate steps to prioritize 

safety training and culture along with operational actions that match the severity of recent incidents. 

Norfolk Southern must prioritize the safety and well-being of its workers as well as the millions of 

individuals living near routes on which they operate.

Read more about USDOT’s recent actions to improve freight rail safety and accountability here.

Background:

Investigators from DOT’s FRA and PHMSA were on the ground within hours of the Norfolk Southern 

train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, 2023. The agencies are supporting the 

investigation being led by the National Transportation Safety Board, an independent agency. For more 

on the federal response and jurisdiction, see here. 

To get the latest information on the investigation, please visit NTSB’s website.

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