Federal railroad inspectors find alarming number of defects on Union Pacific this summer

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: ABC News/AP

OMAHA, Neb. -- Federal inspectors said they found an alarming number of defects in the locomotives and railcars Union Pacific was using at the world's largest railyard in western Nebraska this summer, and the railroad was reluctant to fix the problems. Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose wrote a letter to UP's top three executives Friday expressing his concern that the defects represent a “significant risk to rail safety " on the Union Pacific railroad.

Bose said the 19.93% defect rate on rail cars and the 72.69% rate for locomotives that inspectors found in July and August are both twice the national average. But the letter didn't detail what kind of defects inspectors found in the Bailey Yard in North Platte, and there are a myriad of federal rules. “The compliance of the rolling stock (freight cars and locomotives) on the UP network is poor, and UP was unwilling or unable to take steps to improve the condition of their equipment,” Bose said in his letter.

Bose questioned whether the recent layoffs of 94 locomotive craft employees and 44 carmen across the Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad that is one of the nation's largest left UP without enough people to complete the necessary repairs. Kristen South, a spokeswoman for Union Pacific, said Sunday that the layoffs weren't a problem, and the railroad remains 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 will address the concerns raised by the FRA,” South said.

Railroad safety has been a key concern nationwide this year ever since another railroad, Norfolk Southern, had a train derail and catch fire in eastern Ohio in February. That East Palestine derailment prompted regulators and members of Congress to call for reforms, but few significant changes have been made since then.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/federal-railroad-inspectors-find-alarming-number-defects-union-103070596

[czarjak]

1. Safety Talk is Safety Talk is Safety Talk is Safety Talk is Safety Talk....

[eggplant]

2. "Union Pacific will never compromise on the safety of our employees."

We lay them off to be sure they're safe.

[Wonder Why]

6. You hit the nail on the head! "We'll just contract out the work and that company

will compromise the safety of our former employees who'll be working for them at half the wages"

[FakeNoose]

3. Keep inspecting - all across the country

These railroads need to see some steep fines before they get off their rear ends and repair anything.
Let's make them sweat a little.

[republianmushroom]

4. But, but taking care of these deficiencies will affect the bottom line

and that will effect my CEO bonus. Maybe later, OK.

[Puppyjive]

5. This is what UP did

I worked for them back in the day. Their precision railroading eliminated maintenance workers. They eliminated the locomotive maintenance and got rid of carman. They started running longer trains and stopped inspecting. The wear and tear has now come to roost. They shut down the yard I use to work at. Now they are scrambling. They got caught with their pants down. UP is a huge company . The FRA needs to shut them down until they fully comply. Trains are ticking time bombs going thru our communities. Railroad labor has been understaffed and denied basic human rights such as time off. Maintenance is down, which creates a recipe for disaster. They have a new CEO who is responsible for this mess. Why? I say, get rid of the entire board, fire the ceo and start over. They are also diing a lousy job training the new guys.