Train derailments in the Pittsburgh region are more likely to happen in disadvantaged communities and near waterways.
The report from the University of Pittsburgh looks at rail accidents between 1998 and 2024, using data from the Federal Railroad Administration.
There were more than 1,348 train derailments over that period in the Ohio River Basin, which includes Western Pennsylvania; much of Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Kentucky; and parts of Illinois and Tennessee. Of those, 18 released hazardous materials…