The National Transportation Safety Board’s allegation that Norfolk Southern repeatedly tried to interfere with the investigation of the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk derailment on the outskirts of East Palestine, Ohio, near Ohio’s border with Pennsylvania, is the latest development in the rail company’s roller-coaster-like experience since the accident.

The railroad’s image was dealt a huge blow — immediately and understandably — the moment the derailment occurred and during the days, weeks and months afterward regarding some decisions that were made about how to respond to it and then how the responses took place.

One particularly thorny action, which occurred three days after the derailment, involved blowing open five tank cars and burning the vinyl chloride inside, despite fears of potential health dangers to anyone exposed to the flames and smoke.

But then on the up side came the railroad’s efforts to help the community and its residents recover, including covering many recovery costs, although money never will heal some of the negative psychological impacts inflicted on some residents and the community in general.

For the most part, East Palestine residents never harbored fears about living close to a railroad corridor until that terrible day 17 months ago. Now some residents are prone to worrying every time a train approaches their town.

Still, the town has been trying to return to normal — what it was before Feb. 3, 2023 — and people living there deserve praise for their determination toward achieving that goal, however long that might take. But now there is a new wrinkle — that NTSB allegation — and, if true, residents are justified in expressing anger over what has been alleged.

Railroad communities understand what East Palestine residents are feeling at this time and also rightfully want to know the full story associated with the alleged interference for which Norfolk Southern is being accused.

Transparency can be beneficial toward helping to prevent similar situations — or other kinds of tragic incidents — on the rails in the future.

The NTSB confirmed at a hearing on June 25 that the February 2023 derailment was caused by a wheel bearing that video showed was on fire for more than 20 miles before the derailment in question occurred. Inaccurate trackside detectors had not caught the problem in time to prevent the accident.

However, now there is the troubling interference allegation and it appears that the NTSB might have more accident-related work to do.

According to an article in the Mirror’s June 26 edition, at the end of the June 25 session NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy accused Norfolk, not only of interfering with the investigation, but also with abusing its status as a party to the probe to help gather information.

“Norfolk Southern’s abuse of the party process was unprecedented and reprehensible,” she said.

Homendy said that numerous times the railroad delayed or failed to give investigators information. Twice, she said, she called the railroad at the request of investigators and threatened to issue subpoenas for information.

At times in recent months it seemed that the East Palestine derailment might be close to being relegated to the railroad history books, with matters related to the accident resolved or close to being resolved.

Now that conclusion might have been proven premature.