At Least Six More Major Wrecks Haunt UP in April

March was not a good month for Union Pacific. Throughout the course of that month, UP put more than 100 rail cars on the ground in five separate major train wrecks. (See the RWU Special Bulletin 4/1/26 HERE). Now in April, things have not gotten any better. For this month, UP put no fewer than 93 rail cars on the ground along with 3 locomotives, in a total of 6 major wrecks in just 26 days.

To get the month started, on April 4th, 15 cars of an intermodal train - made up of 177 cars and 14,500 feet long - derailed east of Tucson, AZ.

Next, on April 17th, the lead locomotives (3) of a grain train derailed - together with 22 carloads of grain, injuring one crew member - in Janesville, WI due to flooded track conditions. Ironically, this derailment came the very day that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had issued a warning that the nation's railroads need to do more to protect worker, community and environmental safety during inclement weather conditions.

On April 19th, a dozen cars derailed in the Roseville, CA yard, with two of them bursting into flames, resulting in the closure all night of a major area roadway.

The very next day, On April 20th, 20 cars of a train of mixed freight bit the dust outside of Beaumont, TX. with the derailed loads including a tank car of beef tallow that was ruptured and leaking.

On April 23rd, 7 double-stack container cars (wells) of a 230 - car train derailed and came to rest on their sides in downtown Austin, TX just prior to the morning commute, forcing road closures and snarling traffic for hours.

Last but not least, 17 cars - including three containing hazardous materials - came off the rails in Louisiana on the last day of the month, April 30th.

All this comes as Union Pacific - the nation's largest Class One rail carrier - attempts to make the case that it should be allowed to absorb the nation's fourth largest railroad (Norfolk Southern) to become a mega-rail corporation of the size and power that the "Robber Barons" of the 19th century could only dream of. With this sort of safety record in just the last two months alone, is it really a good idea to give them even more power to run roughshod over workers, passengers, shippers, and communities? We say, HELL NO!