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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

HQ-NS-2022-0305-1543

Document Series
Accident Investigations
Author
Office of Railroad Safety
Accident Date
Accident Type
Derailment (DRM)
Railroad Name
Norfolk Southern Railway (NS)
Location

Perryman, MD
United States

Accident Number
HQ-NS-2022-0305-1543
Investigation Status
Finalized
Subject Accident Investigations
Keywords
Norfolk Southern Railway, NS, derailment, broken rim, catastrophic failure
Document

On March 5, 2022, at 1:58. a.m., EST, a Norfolk Southern (NS) freight train (Y92H202) derailed at Milepost 71 on the Northeast Corridor in Perryman, Maryland, resulting in 20 cars derailed and $2,665,277 of damage to rail equipment and track. There were no injuries reported.

The weather at the time of the incident was 26 °F, dark and clear and the accident was not PTC-preventable.

NS and FRA did not agree on the same primary cause code. Per the F 6180.54 submitted by the railroad, NS believes E69C “other wheel defects” is the most appropriate cause code. FRA contends that E61C “broken rim” is the most appropriate cause code due to the obvious fracturing of the R4 wheel on NS 145387. 


Last updated: Saturday, March 5, 2022