Twenty cars of a Norfolk Southern cargo train derailed Saturday evening near Springfield, OH, making it the second time in a month that the rail company has had a train derailment. No hazardous materials were said to be on board the train. According to NBC News:
"No injuries were reported when approximately 20 cars of the 212-car train derailed while traveling south, near Springfield, the Norfolk Southern spokesperson said. Springfield is about 46 miles west of the state capital of Columbus, Ohio.
'Our teams are en route to the site to begin cleanup operations,' the company said.
The derailment, near the Clark County Fairgrounds, left more than 1,500 without power, and the agency asked residents within 1,000 feet of the site to shelter in place, but it said it has not issued formal evacuation orders."
Whether this is operator negligence, poorly maintained equipment or tracks, or a combination, it draws attention to the fact that freight rail companies like Norfolk Southern worked with Republican deregulators for years to undermine safety regulations in order to maximize their profits. This is the fruit of their work.
