Railroad yards, unlike mainline railroad operations, are similar to fixed-site chemical and industrial plants in terms of operating procedures, populations at risk, and emergency response preparedness capabilities. Like the fixed-site chemical and industrial plants, railroad yards are permanent facilities located within the boundaries of communities and close to schools, hospitals, businesses, apartments and housing complexes. To solicit comments and potential solutions to this problem from the railroad industry; involved communities; local emergency response organizations; and local, State, and Federal governments, on July 26 and 27, 1983, the Safety Board convened a public hearing in Arlington, Virginia. Twenty-three witnesses representing these entities were brought together to identify means for minimizing the potential for catastrophic releases of hazardous materials in railroad yards and to discuss the preparedness of communities and railroad yard operators for handling such emergencies. The hearing revealed that intricate parts of the problem were the hazardous materials classification system, the packaging safeguards required for tank cars used to transport various hazardous materials, the safety of operations within railroad yards, and their relationship to the ability of yard operations and adjacent communities to protect the safety and health of employees and the public during a hazardous materials emergency. Witness testimony revealed that these areas are so intertwined that safety deficiencies in one area can negate efforts to assure safety in one of the other areas. Clearly, any solution to the problems of hazardous materials releases in railroad yards must be derived through government, industry, and community cooperation.