> According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there were 1,056 train derailments (both cargo and passenger) in the US in 2021 The key word here might

> According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there were 1,056 train derailments (both cargo and passenger) in the US in 2021 The key word here might be "US". The letter writer is specifically talking about Iowa; are state-by-state statistics available? If you've never spent time in the Midwest, you probably have never seen a train that's a mile or longer. Endless cars of agricultural products, often high fructose corn syrup. I saw this often growing up in Iowa, never in California. In the Bay Area, freight sometimes moves along the same tracks as Caltrain at night, but the trains are tiny in comparison to those of Iowa. For a while, I think trains in Iowa were limited by how long a train was allowed to block a roadway (IIRC 10 minutes). I think trains were sized so at least in theory they could comply with the law when at speed. The law might have changed since, and/or maybe there aren't as many at-grade crossings anymore. (A painful intersection in my home town recently got grade separation.)