Paulsboro train derailment: 10+ years later, questions over rail safety linger

The National Transportation Safety Board found Conrail had been warned 23 times about the faulty railroad bridge in the year prior to the accident, but failed to address the dangers. And it wasn’t the first time an accident occurred — in 2009, the swing bridge buckled, derailing 16 cars carrying coal. The NTSB said Conrail failed to hire qualified employees to inspect the bridge, and failed to address the bridge’s hazards.

Mistakes were made by state officials too, the NTSB reported. Shortly after the accident, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection inaccurately told residents the chemicals had dissipated.

The volunteer firefighters also weren’t adequately trained to respond to such hazards — which was evident when they didn’t wear the appropriate protective gear. In addition, the state’s emergency response plan was insufficient, and residents were not evacuated soon enough, according to the NTSB report.

Former fire captain Glenn Roemmich, who said he doesn’t have any health problems related to chemical exposure, remembers being questioned by the agency.

“At that time, I believe the commissioners believed that we were a paid fire department,” he said. “I said, ‘We’re volunteers. I have to do a normal 9-to-5 job to provide for my family and myself. And there’s not a whole lot of time to go to training and stuff like that.’”

The NTSB made several recommendations to improve emergency response, and to ensure safer bridges and rails.

The bridge was replaced in 2015, there has been increased first responder training and rail compliance is being audited. The state used federal funding to study hazardous materials on site and in transit to help develop response plans and mitigation strategies in the event of a hazardous substance release.

But at least six of the recommendations to state and federal agencies and organizations have not yet been fully implemented — something that’s typically achieved within five years.

The NTSB recommended that railroad companies transporting hazardous materials be required by the Department of Transportation to help develop emergency operations and response plans in conjunction with the communities they travel through. However, the U.S. Department of Transportation and its Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration have failed to follow through, according to the NTSB.

Mayor Stevenson still worries about the potential for another accident — trains carrying hazardous materials pass through his town frequently. He’s particularly concerned about the transportation of liquified petroleum gas, a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gasses.

“Here I am mayor now — I never get anything from the railroad or the NTSB,” Stevenson said. “Another accident is going to happen because nothing was followed up on.”

In a statement to WHYY, Conrail said it “deeply regrets” the 2012 accident, and the impact it had on the community.

“Preventing another Paulsboro is paramount and permeates our safety rules and operating practices, our maintenance regimens and the allocation of our capital dollars, and it also continues to drive our focus on community relations,” the statement reads. “We are committed to the safe operation of our railroad for our neighboring communities, our employees, and our customers, and we will continue to do everything in our power to prevent another incident from occurring.”

Conrail said it invests about $24.8 million a year on track and bridge infrastructure. The company said it also has on-the-ground relationships with first responders, educating them about hazardous materials.

Dello Iacono said she wants Congress to pass legislation that forces rail companies to ensure their rails are safe. In 2015, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez introduced legislation to impose stronger penalties on railroads that violate safety standards. However, the bill went nowhere.

In response to the train derailment in East Palestine, lawmakers introduced legislation that would broaden the definition of a “high-hazard flammable train,” subject to stricter federal safety regulations. A second bill introduced last week aims to direct the Federal Railroad Administration to study wheel-related failures and derailments, enact new safety measures, and require large freight railroad companies to join a confidential “close call” reporting system.

Dello Iacono is now a mother of four. She traveled to D.C. to attend a hearing about rail safety shortly after the East Palestine derailment — and said she feels for the town’s mothers.

“Knowing what I know now a decade later, we’re still dealing with health issues from our exposures, and to just think that that’s what their future entails,” she said. “It’s just really hard and my heart breaks for them.”