Norfolk Southern estimates that Ohio derailment cost $387M

FILE – A Norfolk Southern freight train makes it way through Homestead, Pa. on April 27, 2022. Norfolk Southern reports earnings on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Norfolk Southern said it expects February’s fiery Ohio derailment to cost it $387 million, but that total will likely increase over time and that doesn’t reflect how much the railroad’s insurance companies will eventually cover. The Atlanta-based railroad provided that estimate of the cost of the Feb. 3 derailment outside East Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday when it released its first-quarter earnings report. That derailment and several others since then have prompted a nationwide focus on railroad safety. That cost estimate includes the $30.9 million the railroad has pledged to help the community recover, but it doesn’t reflect how much Norfolk Southern will put into funds to cover any long-term health problems and compensate residents.