A bill introduced this week in the Ohio Senate would roll back a safety measure the state adopted because of the train disaster in East Palestine last year.

If passed, Senate Bill 250 would maintain ten-mile interval requirements for the defect detectors on Class 1 railroads but allow up to 25 and 35 miles for classes two and three.

Retired FRA official Steve Ditmeyer tells 21 News that classes are determined by revenue, but should be determined by track speed and rail quality.

The maximum speed for Class 1 railroads is ten miles per hour while trains running on class 5 railroads can go up to speeds of 80 miles per hour.

"The faster the trains run, the closer the spacing of the wayside detectors should be.", said Ditmeyer.

Ditmeyer also believes that detectors need to be integrated with identification systems that provide real-time information.

"That needs to be integrated with the detectors so the information gets disseminated much faster from the wayside detector to the train and to the dispatching office, and others who need the information.", Ditmeyer explained.

SB250 must make its way through the senate and house first before going to the governor's desk.