Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell from Washington state led an executive session on the proposed Railway Safety Act of 2023 on Wednesday. The act requires the industry to implement train malfunction detection technology in the wake of high profile train derailments in 2023.
Notably, in February, a Northfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, eventually causing hazardous chemicals to emanate throughout the region after a controlled burn of vinyl chloride
off derailed cars. In March, a BNSF train jumped tracks near Fidalgo Island, Washington, spilling more than 3,000 gallons of diesel. Washington state alone had 35 train derailments last year.