US Politics

Why toxic train crashes may prove unhealthy for Biden’s prospects

Two crashes only a fortnight apart spewed dangerous chemicals on to land and into waterways in Ohio and Detroit, drawing attention to the effects of cutbacks on railway services

Aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train crash near East Palestine on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, which led to the evacuation of local residents and poisoned fish in the Ohio river. Picture: Getty

Two weeks after a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, triggering the mass evacuation of local residents, polluting water and killing thousands of fish in nearby streams, a second train carrying hazardous materials derailed outside Detroit last Thursday night.

Both trains were owned and operated by Norfolk Southern, one of the biggest freight companies in the US. The events have prompted renewed questions about the consequences of cutbacks that caused workers to ...