Village of East Palestine, Norfolk Southern announce settlement of all claims by village arising from derailment
The Village of East Palestine and Norfolk Southern Corporation are pleased to announce that they have resolved all claims by the Village arising out of the Feb. 3, 2023 train derailment. The settlement provides the Village with $22 million from Norfolk Southern to be used for priorities identified by the Village in connection with the train derailment.
The settlement also recognizes the approximately $13.5 million in prior payments that Norfolk Southern has already made directly to the Village since the derailment, including replacement of Village fire and police equipment and vehicles, improvements to the Village’s water treatment plant, and Norfolk Southern’s exterior renovation of the historic East Palestine train depot.
The settlement also reaffirms Norfolk Southern’s commitment of $25 million to the ongoing improvements to the East Palestine City Park.
As part of the settlement, Norfolk Southern and the Village have mutually agreed that the creation and operation of the proposed regional safety training center in the Village is not feasible and, as a result, work will not proceed with building the center.
Norfolk Southern has agreed to transfer ownership of approximately 15 acres of land it acquired for the center to the Village for another productive use, to be determined by the Village in its sole discretion. Norfolk Southern remains committed to providing training for East Palestine’s first responders at other facilities in the region.
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