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Tuesday, December 30, 1997

Government seeks solutions to railroad's problems

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Federal regulators concerned by a recent string of accidents on the Union Pacific Railroad have scheduled a hearing on the situation for Houston in February.

The National Transportation Safety Board scheduled the hearing to examine a head-on train collision in Houston and a string of other accidents earlier this year, the San Antonio Express News reported Monday.

On Oct. 25, a Union Pacific freight train with faulty brakes was dispatched from a Houston rail yard for a 1,500-mile trip to California.

The brakes failed after 10 miles, sending the train through a red signal and into a head-on collision.

The air brakes were not inspected properly before departure, in apparent violation of federal law, according to interviews with Union Pacific employees and government investigators.

The crash happened eight weeks after federal inspectors targeted the company for the largest railroad safety probe on record.

A company spokesman declined to speak about the Houston incident, but an internal Union Pacific investigation faults a blocked air-brake line for the crash, according to the train's engineer. Ensuring the line is clear is part of the pre-departure inspection.

Officials worry that the accidents show how little control the government has over Union Pacific, the nation's largest railroad and, at $900 million in 1996 earnings, the most profitable.

Ten Union Pacific employees have died on the job this year, more than on any other railroad, according to a Federal Railroad Administration spokesman. Union Pacific's five train-collision deaths in 1997 equal the combined total from 1991 to 1996.

In August, after three fatal collisions and five employee deaths, the Federal Railroad Administration sent 80 inspectors to examine every aspect of the company. The agency said it found a "fundamental breakdown" in safe operations and announced plans to correct the collapse.

Union Pacific President Jerry Davis promised at the time to cooperate: "We want the same thing as the FRA, and that is to quit hurting people and run a safe railroad."

Four Union Pacific employees were hurt when they jumped off the two trains involved in the Houston accident.

The two most serious injuries were on the westbound train with faulty brakes. Keith Cronin, the 26-year-old engineer, leapt off the rear of the locomotive at 25 mph and severely injured his ankle.

From the ground, he turned and saw conductor Tom Wittie engulfed in a diesel fire. As the giant engines began to stack up and fly off the track, Cronin fled into nearby woods.

Wittie, 53, suffered facial burns and back injuries.

Both live in San Antonio and are recovering from their injuries. Neither has returned to work.

The federal government also believes cutting corners during inspections is widespread.

"The FRA found examples of UP train crews being ordered to move trains that had defective equipment," a summary of the federal safety probe stated.

Fifty-seven percent of the locomotive fleet had defects, the report found. In Texas, the figure was 75 percent. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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