I think it's normal for everyday people to freak out about something like this after the disaster that East Palestine is. The overreporting of every train derailment is definitely driving anxiety for people imo. This particular line in Nebraska is owned by the UP and is a main thoroughfare for coal from the powder river basin going East. Coal cars weigh A LOT. We're talking 140 tons per car and a lot of trains are now 120 cars long depending on if the utility they are going to can handle it. That is a lot of wear and tear on any steel track. It's especially hard on them when there is something like a stuck brake or a flat wheel.

There are places in Wyoming and Nebraska that have huge, seemingly random, turn around spots next to railroad tracks where they have buried coal from derailments that are paved over. Definitely not within EPA clean-up standards. Most people are none the wiser about it.