Cheaper to Burn Bridges than Inspect Them: Documentary Reveals Railroad Negligence

A hard-hitting documentary from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism reveals how the railroads, through their lobbying group the Association of American Railroads (AAR) spend millions of dollars fighting regulations that would require them to fix or even inspect the bridges we take our trains across every day. Their “acceptable losses” mean leaks, spills and toxins for the rest of us. 

Watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C2hmzBTRvE 

Jared Cassity, head of SMART-TD’s National Safety Team, represents the voice of common sense in the video. He calls out this hypocrisy for what it is—their actions don’t square with their messaging. “Safety” is something they say to make bad press go away.  

The documentary tells a truth the industry doesn’t want anyone to hear: rail workers are the real experts, and we’re done letting the carriers play Russian roulette with our bridges, our communities, and our lives. 

Please take the time (less than 10 minutes) to watch the video, then share it with your community. We want as many people as possible to learn about our failing bridges, the bill Congress is working on to control the massive oversight, and to remind America how little the railroads care about the safety of their communities. We live it, so it’s up to us to make sure everyone else sees these dangers for what they are.