The Biden administration recently announced a slew of actions it plans to take aimed at improving rail safety in the wake of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
But depending on an upcoming decision from the Federal Railroad Administration, the industry could instead be taking a step backward, according to railroad unions.
That decision — which FRA plans to publish in May, according to the latest regulatory agenda issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation — involves a provision included in a rule that went into effect in April 2020 that requires each Class I freight railroad put in place an FRA-approved Risk Reduction Program (RRP). The goal of the rule is to improve safety.
