"If they really are going to be held to that, I'm very concerned about defects not being found, I think that is pretty quick," Alexy said. Railroad safety concerns became widespread last year after a Norfolk Southern train derailed, spilled hazardous chemicals and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio, in February. Explore Norfolk Southern's new CEO had his first earnings call. Here's what he said The railroad — and the entire industry — promised reforms after that disastrous wreck. But Alexy said there hasn't been much significant improvement in railroads' overall safety record in recent years. The concerns about rushed railcar inspections are part of rail labor's broader concerns about whether the lean Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) model railroads are using is more dangerous.