Bipartisan support emerges for Senate railroad safety bill

By STEPHEN R. GROVES
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan consensus that Congress should act to toughen regulations on railroads is emerging in the U.S. Senate. The Senate Commerce Committee is examining a fiery hazardous train derailment last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Republicans and Democrats on the committee peppered Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw with questions Wednesday on what enhanced safety measures he would support. Shaw offered support for some safety enhancements but declined to endorse several key parts of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023. The bill includes requirements that trains have crews of at least two people, expands the classification for highly hazardous flammable trains and increases fines for safety violations.