Railroads urged to examine track detectors after Ohio crash

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators are urging freight railroads to reexamine the way they use and maintain the detectors along the tracks that are supposed to spot overheating bearings in the wake of the fiery Ohio derailment and several other recent crashes where faulty bearings are suspected to be the cause. The safety advisory the Federal Railroad Administration issued Tuesday stops short of telling the railroads exactly what to do, but it encourages them to make sure these detectors are getting inspected often enough and that the railroads have safe standards for when to stop a train after an overheating bearing triggers a warning. More than three dozen railcars came off the tracks near East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3 and the resulting fire involving toxic chemicals forced evacuations.