CLEVELAND — In the aftermath of last month's train derailment in East Palestine, members of Cleveland City Council met on Tuesday morning to host an informational hearing for members of the community regarding train safety.
Over the course of the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, local officials discussed the plans the city has in place should a derailment, or similar event, occur in Cleveland. Additionally, representatives for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown read letters in support of continued efforts to increase regulations and promote safety in the railway industry.
Ward 15 Councilman Jenny Spencer chaired the hearing. On Monday, council approved a resolution she sponsored calling on Congress to pass the Railway Safety Act, sponsored by Brown and fellow Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
"We are a legacy city, and these railroads — whether Norfolk Southern or CSX — own a tremendous amount of infrastructure in Cleveland," Spencer told 3News afterward. "So, in terms of resident feedback, a huge part of that is actually related to railroads not maintaining the property that they own."
Councilmembers from multiple wards brought up their own areas of concern, such as the historic Lake Avenue Bridge (owned by Norfolk Southern) not being maintained up to par. These issues lead to worries about overall safety as trains head through town.
"This is a multi-pronged thing," Spencer said. "It's about changing laws where necessary, and then making sure that our local people are prepared and that our residents are communicated with.
Also attending Tuesday's hearing were members of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's administration, who outlined the city's authority should such an event occur. In the event of a disaster, the authority is handled by the city's local fire chief, until he or she relinquishes that authority to state or federal regulators.
Cleveland fire chief Anthony Luke elaborated on the matter, and pointed out how such an event might be handled differently in Cleveland than it was in East Palestine. Notably, Luke stressed that Cleveland has more immediate resources available, including more personnel.
"Our fire chief, really, is in charge," Spencer noted. "so if anything like this were to occur, we have a clear leader — a clear point of contact — to carry out the emergency operations plan."
Over the course of a question and answer session, multiple city council members called on the city to be proactive regarding rail safety and use its authority to subpoena members of Norfolk Southern to discuss the matter. You can re-watch the entirety of the informational hearing in the video player below.