An overheated wheel bearing on a hopper car was found to be the catalyst for a catastrophic Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) trail derailment that caused a release of hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio last year.
According to the findings from an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, overheated bearings are common causes of train accidents. However, the difficulty in accurately measuring the temperature inside the bearing, combined with Norfolk Southern’s (NSC) spacing between hot bearing detectors left the crew little time to respond.
The crew did not receive a hot bearing warning until the train passed over a detector in East Palestine when the overheated bearing was about to cause its axle to fail. The crew began to slow the train using dynamic braking, but it was already too late. The use of a DOT-111 tank car exacerbated the extent of the accident due to its record of inadequate mechanical and thermal crash-worthiness and propensity to release lading in a derailment, the investigation found.
The NTSB also found that Norfolk Southern’s (NSC) decision to implement a “vent and burn” on the cars containing vinyl chloride monomer was unnecessary and based on “incomplete and misleading information provided by Norfolk Southern officials and contractors.” A vent and burn should be used as a last resort, and was prematurely deployed by Norfolk Southern (NSC) after rejecting three other removal methods.
In response to the NTSB findings, Norfolk Southern (NSC) defended its use of vent and burn as it was the company’s only option to protect the community from a potential catastrophic explosion. The company based its decision on the recommendation by industry experts and conditions on-site that necessitated expeditious action.
The company also said it has already implemented many of the NTSB’s recommendations including a partnership with Rapid SOS, advocating for the phase-out of DOT-111 tank cars, installing more hot bearing detectors and reducing the distance between detectors, quadrupling acoustic bearing detectors, and deploying Digital Train Inspection Portals.
The February 2023 accident has cost Norfolk Southern (NSC) over $1.7B in fines, settlements, community assistance, and clean-up costs. As a result, the company reported Q4 2023 income of $808M versus $1.2B in the same quarter the year prior.
Shares of Norfolk Southern (NSC) are 0.6% lower in Wednesday’s premarket, setting up the stock for a third consecutive day in the red.