Department of Transportation to urge railroads and Congress to improve rail safety - Trains

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation will propose a number of new rail safety initiatives on Tuesday in the wake of this month’s fiery derailment of a Norfolk Southern train that was carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio. Trains News Wire has learned that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Feb. 21 will call on railroads to immediately take five steps he says will improve safety, including requiring the faster phase-out of older tank cars; providing state emergency response officials with advance notice of hazardous materials shipments through their...