By Liam Bowman, Taylor Nichols, and Mary Burke / Howard Center for Investigative Journalism Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland

Associated Press

A train derails and spills at least 1,000 gallons of hazardous materials in the U.S. about once every two months. Nearly half of those derailments resulted in evacuations; more than a quarter resulted in a fire or explosion since 2015, an analysis of federal derailment data showed.

And many communities along the rail lines aren’t prepared to keep people safe when it happens.

| DOWNLOAD: What paramedics want in 2025

That’s the finding of an investigation by the University of Maryland’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism that reviewed hundreds of rail safety documents and reports and interviewed

See Full Page