New rule would make all railroads alert first responders within 10 miles of derailed train cargo

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal regulators want first responders to a train derailment to know exactly what they are dealing with even before they reach the scene. That’s because dangerous chemicals trains carry might require a specialized response. A new rule proposed Wednesday would require all railroads to electronically push the details of everything on a train to every emergency responder within 10 miles. The rule applies to every railroad — not just the biggest ones that already provide this information through an app firefighters use. The new rule comes just before the National Transportation Safety Board holds a hearing and scrutinizes emergency responses to the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train outside East Palestine, Ohio.