(Omaha) U.S. federal inspectors say they have discovered an alarming number of defects in the locomotives and rail cars that the Union Pacific (UP) railroad used this summer at the world’s largest rail yard, in the western Nebraska, and the company was reluctant to resolve the problems.
Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose wrote a letter to the three top UP leaders on Friday, expressing concern that the defects pose a “significant risk to railroad safety.”
Mr. Bose said the defect rate of 19.93% on wagons and the rate of 72.69% on locomotives found by inspectors in July and August are each twice the national average. The letter does not detail the type of defects found by inspectors at the Bailey Yard in North Platte, and there are otherwise a panoply of federal rules.
“Compliance of rolling stock (freight cars and locomotives) on the UP network is poor, and UP has been unwilling or unable to take action to improve the condition of its equipment,” Bose said in his letter.
Mr. Bose wondered if the recent layoffs of 94 locomotive engineers and 44 carmen at the Omaha, Nebraska, railroad, one of the largest in the country, have left the UP without enough staff to carry out the necessary repairs.
Union Pacific spokeswoman Kristen South said on Sunday the layoffs were not an issue and the railroad remained committed to safety.
“Union Pacific will never compromise on the safety of our employees. Safety is always our first priority, and we are reviewing and responding to concerns raised by the (Federal Railroad Administration),” said Mr.me South.
Rail safety has been a major concern nationwide this year since another railroad, owned by Norfolk Southern, derailed and caught fire in eastern Ohio in February. That derailment in East Palestine, a village in Ohio, prompted regulators and members of Congress to call for reforms, but few significant changes have been made since then.
Mme South said the railroad has appropriate staffing levels and sufficient capacity to provide “headroom to accommodate the natural ebbs and flows of our business.”
The layoffs announced by UP late last month came after the Federal Railroad Administration completed its inspection, and they represent a tiny fraction of the railroad’s workforce, which numbers more than 30 000 people.
Union Pacific’s new CEO, Jim Vena, just took the helm of the railroad last month. Union Pacific has a network of 52,000 kilometers of railways in 23 Western states.
