A train derails in Michigan with several cars veering off track in Van Buren Township on February 18, 2023. The train was operated by Norfolk Southern, the same company operating the train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, less than two weeks prior. POSTED INECONOMY AND INEQUALITY A CARMAN’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE EAST PALESTINE DERAILMENT AND THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE

^The catastrophic derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3 has devastated the local community and led to a wholly justifiable uproar by the public. The response by federal agencies and the rail carrier itself left residents frustrated and without any definitive answers on how to move forward. What is perhaps most devastating about the East Palestine disaster, though, is the fact that it was avoidable. Norfolk Southern has spent the last five years deferring maintenance, furloughing employees, rushing inspections, cutting corners on repairs, and threatening (and retaliating against) employees who didn’t comply with any of the directives put in place to accomplish their ultimate goal of an operating ratio below 60%. Those of us who work in the rail industry knew it was only a matter of time before a disaster like this happened. Unfortunately, we were ignored, and the people of East Palestine (like, as of this week, the people of Raymond, Minnesota) are the ones paying for it.