Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the East Palestine train derailment.
Regan explained some of the potential contributing factors to the derailment. He believes one factor comes from the roughly 30 percent reduction of the railroads’ work force. He believes safety is a secondary thought to profit and pointed to an increase in railyard accidents since the personnel cuts were implemented. Precision scheduled railroading (PSR) is another potential factor, as skeleton crews work longer hours on longer trains, he said.
Unfortunately, it takes major catastrophes like East Palestine to create fundamental industry changes, Regan said. As crews work to clean up the accident site, it will leave a lasting impact in the memory of decision makers. In the past, incidents like this have resulted in better safety procedures, more elaborate inspections and harsher penalties. Regan believes the overall outcome of this disaster will make the railroad industry safer.
The full impact of the derailment will not be known for at least 18 months, which is when the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to complete its investigation and release a full report on the incident. Regan hopes the NTSB will finish its investigation and report sooner.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.