Report: Railroads cut costs, prioritize speed and efficiency over safety
ProPublica analyzed 600+ train accident reports from 20 years, raising questions on whether longer trains with fewer crews cause more derailments. Reporter Dan Schwartz discusses the findings on NPR.
Updated April 10, 2023 at 11:11 AM ET
A ProPublica report on a railroad cost-cutting approach called Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) concludes that a strategy that employs longer trains with fewer employees puts profits ahead of safety in the freight rail industry.
"In the past, about a 1.4 mile-long train was considered huge. Now trains are two, even three miles long. Long trains are
