And workers say an increasing reliance on longer trains is a safety concern.Įxamples cited most often by unions, including at Friday’s NTSB hearing, are that inspectors who used to have several minutes to check each car are pressured to do so in one minute or less, and that Norfolk Southern relies too much on abbreviated inspections by train crews instead of detailed ones by experts.īut Shaw said Norfolk Southern’s safety record has improved since it started using precision scheduled railroading in 2019. Unions say the new lean operating model that Norfolk Southern and the other major freight railroads are using - known as “precision-scheduled railroading” - has made the industry more dangerous because deep workforce cuts make it hard to keep up with jobs and preventative maintenance. And regulators and members of Congress say Norfolk Southern should be doing more than it has announced. In the interview, Shaw reiterated many of his same safety promises, and offered more details about his plans, but many critics remain skeptical because they haven’t seen fundamental changes. “I need all 20,000 voices at Norfolk Southern pushing for safety. “That interaction and that engagement with our craft colleagues is really important to me,” Shaw said in an interview with The Associated Press at the railroad’s Atlanta headquarters last week, a day before federal hearings on the East Palestine derailment began. He also has hailed work with unions to improve safety - something labor leaders say Norfolk Southern hasn’t done much of since it began overhauling operations in 2019. ATLANTA (AP) - Norfolk Southern’s CEO has spoken often of safety and better service since he took the job over a year ago, but it’s safety that has dominated discussions after one of his trains derailed and caught fire in February in Ohio, creating towering black smoke, forcing evacuations and raising environmental worries.Īlan Shaw has said his plans include adding more trackside detectors to help spot mechanical problems.

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