Senate cancels rail safety hearing

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has canceled a hearing that was scheduled for Thursday about passenger and freight rail safety.

The hearing was scheduled to allow lawmakers to examine regulations for railroads after a spate of high-profile passenger and freight accidents last year, including an oil train derailment in North Dakota that spilled 400,000 gallons of crude in December and a crash on New York Metro-North commuter railway in November.

{mosads}Officials with the panel said the hearing was being canceled because of the snowstorm that struck Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

The panel did not set a new date for the hearing yet.