Overview

Why are railroad companies allowed to inspect their own operations? Why don’t they have to disclose more information to the people living along their tracks about the dangerous cargo they carry and the safety of their structures?

These and other questions will be explored as part of the series, “Off the Rails: Exposing Risk and Regulatory Gaps in North America’s Railroad Industry,’’ led by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland in collaboration with university-based and professional newsrooms, including the Global Reporting Centre at the University of British Columbia, the University of Oregon, NPR, CBC, The Narwhal and Evident Media.

NPR story: https://www.npr.org/2025/08/01/nx-s1-5485251/a-few-federal-inspectors-are-responsible-for-70-000-u-s-railroad-bridges-a-study-finds 

AP story: https://apnews.com/article/old-railroad-bridges-inspections-db4e419750ac9f5981ba3f00fa24e805