Last year I started working with a team at ProPublica on a series of stories about the rails. We’re planning several throughout 2023, which I’ll be posting here.
The True Dangers of Long Trains
by Dan Schwartz and Topher Sanders, with additional reporting by Gabriel Sandoval and Danelle Morton, graphics by Haisam Hussein
Trains have been getting longer and longer, often two to three miles long, but no government body has determined if these train increase dangers to the community. In this story, the ProPublica team uncovers the real dangers of long trains.
As Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossings Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to School
by Topher Sanders and Dan Schwartz, ProPublica, and Joce Sterman, Gray Television/InvestigateTV
When long trains get stalled outside the rail yard, small children must climb through them to get to school, and first responders can’t get to people who need ambulances or firefighters. Cities and states who pass laws to regulate this practice find out nothing they do can rein in the railroads.