Q. Are hazardous materials transported by rail through Ann Arbor?
A. Railroads are required to provide notification of a hazardous shipment only when a train is carrying hazardous materials in either twenty consecutive cars or thirty-five cars total.
Two companies carry freight through Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor Railroad trains run north-south along the Allen Creek valley, while Norfolk Southern Railroad’s run east-west along the Huron River. The Ann Arbor Railroad has not reported any qualifying hazardous materials shipments. Norfolk Southern sometimes does.
It was a Norfolk Southern train that spilled vinyl chloride in East Palestine, Ohio this spring. There had been no notification of that shipment because it did not meet the reporting threshold.
Even when notification is required, the quantities and types of the toxic materials are not required to be specified; descriptions are posted on the sides of the cars, and the conductor has the information. The U.S. Congress, which regulates interstate commerce, is currently considering stricter regulation.
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