U.S. senator asks railroad CEOs to answer questions on hazardous shipments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell said on Friday she was opening an inquiry into railroad hazardous materials safety practices after a Feb. 3 Ohio derailment of a train operated by Norfolk Southern raised new concerns.

Cantwell wrote the chief executives of Norfolk Southern, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CSX, Kansas City Southern, and Union Pacific seeking information to help determine how to improve safety.

“Every railroad must reexamine its hazardous materials safety practices to better protect its employees, the environment, and American families and reaffirm safety as a top priority,” Cantwell wrote.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler)