Train that derailed in East Palestine broke down previously

The train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio two weeks ago had previously broken down on its route, and workers had expressed concerns about its load size, according to CBS News.

The workers said they were concerned that the 151-car, 9,300-foot, 18,000-ton train was carrying excessive weight and that the weight and length "contributed to both the initial breakdown and the derailment."

One employee who commented said that there should be “some limitations to the weight and the length of the trains.”

“We shouldn’t be running trains that are 150 car lengths long … In this case, had the train not been 18,000 tons, it’s very likely the effects of the derailment would have been mitigated,” the employee said.

Norfolk Southern defended the train's distribution, however.

“Assigning a ‘reputation’ to a train that fluctuates by thousands of tons on a regular basis is inaccurate,” a spokesperson said.