Eastern US railroad Norfolk Southern (NS) said it will take at least two weeks to sort out operations that went off line on Monday because of a technology problem.
A hardware-related technology outage affected NS' rail operations starting on Monday morning. All systems were restored by 7pm ET.
The carrier expects the affect on its operations will last "at least a couple of weeks."
NS declined to provide details about the situation and how operations were affected. But the carrier said there was "no indication that this was a cybersecurity incident."
The technical problems were related to the railroad's positive train control (PTC) system, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. The agency is "actively monitoring" the situation to make sure all safety procedures are upheld, FRA said.
PTC is an automated train control system designed to reduce train crashes. Congress in 2008 mandated the technology be installed by the end of 2018 at all Class I railroads, as well as six shortline carriers and Amtrak. But Congress was forced to extend the deadline to the end of 2020 after railroads failed to meet initial installation deadlines.
FRA has been closely monitoring NS since a train hauling hazardous vinyl chloride derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on 3 February. FRA and the National Transportation Safety have each opened investigations of NS' safety practices.
NS rail volume has dropped this year compared with the prior year, US Surface Transportation Board data show. NS has loaded 3.15mn carloads and intermodal units this year through 1 August, down by 1.3pc compared with the same 33 weeks in 2022.
