Choo-Choo #2

In an earlier post, I mentioned the increased number of train wrecks...and lo and behold, here's what I've just read in today's LA Times!

By Dan Weikel, Times Staff Writer

Alarmed about a surge in train accidents across California, state officials unveiled an ambitious plan Thursday to improve railroad safety and fill a void, they say, in federal enforcement of industry regulations.Meeting in San Francisco, the California Public Utilities Commission endorsed the plan and its 21 recommendations that affect a wide range of rail operations, such as grade crossings and tank cars that carry hazardous materials.

The action also is part of an effort by the commission to regain some of the regulatory power it lost to the federal government after a disastrous rail accident in 1991 that poisoned almost 40 miles of the Sacramento River near Dunsmuir. After the crash, the commission issued new rules designed to prevent similar accidents, but court rulings overturned the regulations, saying it was a federal responsibility.
"We have to be really aggressive in this area," commission Chairman Michael Peevey said in an interview."The whole thing is designed to elevate the safety discussion and the heat to get a better record here."

Commission members said they were concerned about a dramatic increase in train accidents in California since 1997.Excluding rail-crossing incidents, the number of crashes has risen from 105 in 1997 to 172 in 2004.If the trends continue, the commission projects 228 train accidents in California this year, more than double the number of 1997 crashes.In their decision, commissioners noted 10 serious accidents — six involving Union Pacific trains — that occurred mostly in Southern California during the last three years. They included a June 2003 crash in which 37 Union Pacific freight cars rolled unchecked for 33 miles from Montclair to Commerce before derailing.

The new plan calls for a process to cite railroads for rule violations and for more safety inspections by the commission of track, equipment and train operations.The agency also wants broader accident investigations that recommend safety improvements, collision warning devices for trains, and better communication with the Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates the nation's passenger and freight railroads.Commissioners said their action was necessary because the federal agency had failed to adequately address the situation in California. They also said the railroads, in particular Union Pacific, had not provided the commission with satisfactory explanations for the latest rash of accidents.

John Bromley, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said the railroad supported "all efforts to improve rail safety, like inspections and better grade crossings."But Bromley said Union Pacific wanted to avoid a proliferation of state regulations across the nation that could conflict with federal laws and complicate transcontinental rail operations.Regulating the nation's railroads has been primarily a role of the federal government — a responsibility that has been upheld in court.

Problems such as these are a direct result of the Republicans thirst for deregulation of all things.
Always looking out to protect the rich, whether individuals or corporate.
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