Rail Safety Act: DeLuzio pressing Norfolk Southern to support

The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.

A potential risk for another train derailment like the one that shook up East Palestine, Ohio, is real, in the eyes of U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-17th District.

Residents in Beaver County sit in his congressional district, so Deluzio is the co-sponsor of the House version of the Railway Safety Act, a companion bill to similar legislation in the Senate.

He met this week with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, calling on the rail company to support his legislation.

"He didn't endorse the legislation," Deluzio said. "He told me there are parts they support and parts they don't. ... My sense is they don't like a two-person minimum staffing. You ask any person walking the street, you see these long freight trains, they think it's crazy one person could be the only worker on there."

Mandating that a minimum of two people work on traveling freight trains is one of the features of Deluzio's bill.

Calling for government regulation on how hazardous materials are transported, standardized maintenance of wayside detectors, and severe penalties and fines when rail companies violate federal law are among other key features in the bill.

"I told them they need to be getting out of the way in supporting the rail safety act like mine, that has popular support, that will become law," Deluzio said. "I don't want them lobbying against something that will cost them a few bucks that will keep folks around here safer."