Skip Navigation

Train derailments have increased under Joe Biden, decreased over 50% since 2003

  • Robby Brod
Some of the railcars that derailed Friday night when a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed are in the process of being cleaned up on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.

 Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

Some of the railcars that derailed Friday night when a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed are in the process of being cleaned up on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.

Happy Fact Check Friday!

I’m looking into misinformation surrounding the East Palestine train derailment.

Scott Perry recently tweeted that derailments have increased since President Biden and Transportation Secretary Buttigieg took office, which is true – but doesn’t tell the full story.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the total number of derailments was 2,133 in 2003. By 2020, that number had fallen to 1,013.

In 2022, there were 1,044 derailments, a 4.2% increase from the previous year (1,002) – but they’re down 16% since 2019.

During Trump’s administration, derailments continued to decline, but peaked in 2018 with 1,376 derailments.

The derailment accident rate is typically measured in terms of accidents per million train miles, and this rate has also generally decreased over time.

In 2003, the derailment accident rate was 3.2 per million train miles, while in 2022, it was 1.5 per million train miles. During the Trump administration, the rate continued to decline, but peaked at 16.99, which is higher than Biden’s 2022 accident rate of 16.69.

What are you hearing about the derailment? Seeing anything that looks like misinformation? Have any questions about the facts about the situation? Let me know!

Support for WITF is provided by:

Become a WITF sponsor today »

Support for WITF is provided by:

Become a WITF sponsor today »

Up Next
Politics & Policy

Pa. Sen. John Fetterman draws praise for getting help for depression