"Now the railroad is going to partner with Youngstown State to build and operate the training center to help prepare first responders to deal with the unique challenges of a train derailment that can spill hazardous chemicals being carried in railcars. In East Palestine, the derailed train cars burned for days, and officials decided to blow open five tank cars of vinyl chloride because they feared those cars might explode."
""By working together, we've turned this vision of an economic and educational center dedicated to enhancing community safety into a sustainable reality," railroad CEO Mark George said. The railroad has committed more than $135 million to help the town recover from the derailment and agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action settlement with residents, though those settlement payments are on hold because of a pending appeal and accounting problems with the first company that was distributing checks."
Norfolk Southern, the state of Ohio, and Youngstown State University will revive plans for a $20 million first responder training center near the East Palestine derailment site. The center aims to prepare firefighters and other first responders for railroad disasters involving hazardous chemical spills and fires, such as the Feb. 3, 2023 derailment where cars burned and five vinyl chloride tank cars were vented. The project had been deemed infeasible over operating-cost concerns and land was transferred to the town, but the railroad now will partner with Youngstown State to build and operate the facility. Local responders will have free access, and Norfolk Southern has pledged substantial recovery and settlement funds, though some payments remain on hold.
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