Railroads and their regulators thwart safety fixes, costing lives
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
if regulators just pushed harder, safety would follow. But treating Washington as the hero of every workplace hazard ignores the ways federal rules can lag technology, misread local conditions, and bury common-sense fixes under paperwork. Yes, rail companies should be held accountable.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
By CAT MURPHY, HALEY PARSLEY, JOSEPHINE JOHNSON and MOLECULE JONGWILAI / Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, University of Maryland Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, University of Maryland Human errors and track defects caused more than 3,000 rail accidents over the last decade, killing 23 people and injuring nearly 1,200.
Yet federal railroad regulators failed toThe post Railroads and their regulators thwart safety fixes, costing lives appeared first on News-Press NOW.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
if regulators just pushed harder, safety would follow. But treating Washington as the hero of every workplace hazard ignores the ways federal rules can lag technology, misread local conditions, and bury common-sense fixes under paperwork.
Yes, rail companies should be held accountable. Still, the public deserves to ask why a system with armies of inspectors and mandates can’t prevent “human errors and track defects” year after year. Public trust is not built by expanding agencies that miss obvious risks, then claiming they only need more authority.
A better approach starts with rule of law and clear accountability: enforce existing standards, speed approvals for proven upgrades, and target chronic violators instead of blanketing the industry with compliance theater. Safety improves when incentives and liability are real.
At stake is institutional competence and fairness to workers and communities, not just bigger regulators.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.