New NTSB Report Highlights Useless, Premature Regulatory Push After East Palestine Derailment

The latest report from safety officials investigating the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, shows that the left and right's post-accident regulatory proposals likely would have done nothing to prevent the crash. A preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday suggests a mechanical issue with an overheated wheel bearing was to blame for the accident.

The report says that track sensors detected a wheel bearing on the Norfolk Southern train was heating up rapidly as it traveled through eastern Ohio. When a sensor alerted the crew that the bearing's temperature hit 253 degrees above the ambient temperature, they brought the train to a halt to inspect the problem.

During their braking procedure, the train's automatic brakes were triggered—which likely meant the train had already derailed by the time the crew was bringing it to a stop.

This is just a preliminary report. It doesn't identify what caused the train's wheel bearing to overheat in the first place. But it does suggest that most of the post-accident commentary has been disconnected from the actual causes of the accident.