Railroad Group Cancels Order to Change Wheels on Hundreds of Railcars
Norfolk Southern claimed that some loose wheels on railcars were a safety concern. Photo: Nate Smallwood for The Wall Street Journal By Sabela Ojea April 15, 2023 12:52 pm ET A railroad industry trade group dropped its order to inspect railcars that could contain loose wheels after a spate of train derailments, including one involving Corp. in Ohio. Freight and tank car manufacturer National Steel Car said railcars it serviced weren’t responsible for recent train derailments. The trade group Association for American Railroads had called for additional inspections of hundreds of cars last month following the accidents. The Ontario-based National Steel Car said Friday that it provided data for how it mounted 2,700 wheel sets and confirmed its compliance with AAR
Norfolk Southern claimed that some loose wheels on railcars were a safety concern.
Photo: Nate Smallwood for The Wall Street Journal
By
A railroad industry trade group dropped its order to inspect railcars that could contain loose wheels after a spate of train derailments, including one involving Corp. in Ohio.
Freight and tank car manufacturer National Steel Car said railcars it serviced weren’t responsible for recent train derailments. The trade group Association for American Railroads had called for additional inspections of hundreds of cars last month following the accidents.
The Ontario-based National Steel Car said Friday that it provided data for how it mounted 2,700 wheel sets and confirmed its compliance with AAR requirements.
The trade group issued a rare order for certain railcars with National Steel Car-mounted wheels to be removed from service. The order came after a claim from Norfolk Southern that loose wheels on two of three railcars that National Steel Car manufactured were a safety concern, according to National Steel Car Chief Executive Gregory Aziz.
Mr. Aziz said Norfolk’s claim was misleading but that the company complied with the safety order out of caution.
Laser scan data showed Norfolk Southern’s train derailed near Springfield, Ohio, as a result of “an enormous impact being applied to the wheel sets,” Mr. Aziz said.
Norfolk Southern didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We stand by that decision and will continue to evaluate all such factors on the network,” a representative of the Association for American Railroads told The Wall Street Journal.
Norfolk Southern’s March 4 derailment in Springfield took place a month after another train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio.
In East Palestine’s derailment, the National Transportation Safety Board has said an overheated wheel bearing on a hopper car was the likely cause of the accident. The agency is continuing its probe into the derailment.
The Federal Railroad Administration recently recommended that railroads review and update their rules regarding how trains are assembled to reduce the risk of accidents.
Write to Sabela Ojea at [email protected]
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