Hi Reader,

Earlier this year, ProPublica published an investigation into railroad companies’ decadeslong practice of blocking crossings for hours, even days, on end. Our story, in collaboration with InvestigateTV, documented dozens of children in Hammond, Indiana, crawling under, climbing over and squeezing between train cars on their way to class. These trains can, and have, started without warning, and there have been accidents across the country. Officials in Hammond complained to the railroad companies for years, to no avail.

But as soon as we published our investigation, things started to change. Within 48 hours, the Federal Railroad Administration issued a safety advisory, Indiana lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation pleading for action and Norfolk Southern’s CEO got in touch with Hammond’s mayor. Last month, as the new school year was getting underway, we published the latest piece in this investigation, noting that there have been no new reports of blocked crossings in Hammond! While Norfolk Southern has, so far, delivered on some of its pledges to address the blocked crossings issue, it has yet to follow through on long-term solutions, like helping to fund a pedestrian overpass.

ProPublica continues to report on this story and other ways that powerful railroad companies’ decisions to maximize profits through efficiency have often left safety behind; donations from nearly 50,000 active members means that we have the resources to stick with these stories until the end. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from readers like you who believe in the power of investigative journalism to hold companies like Norfolk Southern to account.

We’ve got many more investigations in the works, and that’s why we’re asking for your support during this member drive. Join us today with a gift of any amount, and help us continue to produce deeply reported investigations that get results.

Thanks so much,
Jill Shepherd
Proud ProPublican