Dispatching errors and the failure of two backup systems allowed a Union Pacific train to slam into 74 railcars that had been parked on a side track for nine months in Southern California in 2022. That's according to a National Transportation Safety Board report issued Thursday detailing what caused the crash in the desert near the Salton Sea.
FILE - Union Pacific dispatchers keep track of trains moving across the western United States at the Harriman Dispatch Center in Omaha , Neb., Dec. 15, 2023. that had been parked on a side track for nine months in Southern California two years ago, killing an engineer and a conductor, according to a report issued Thursday.
The NTSB said a dispatcher inappropriately removed a note in the computer indicating the track was occupied two weeks earlier without verifying the tracks were empty. Another dispatcher that night ignored a separate warning about the siding and sent the train into it also without checking to be sure the tracks were empty. Both actions violated Union Pacific’s rules.
Investigators checked the computer logs for the weeks before the crash and found that sometimes cars parked on the tracks would show up in the system and at other times they would disappear because of the rust causing intermittent problems.
Accidents Union Pacific Corp. National Transportation Safety Board General News NE State Wire CA State Wire N U.S. News Omaha F Norfolk Southern Corp. California A Business Nebraska
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 coming to Southeast Texas during Heartland of America TourAs part of the Heartland of America Tour, Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 will be coming to Texas with multiple stops, including three in Southeast Texas.
Read more »
Union Pacific hasn't yet lived up to deal to give all its engineers predictable schedulesThe union that represents train engineers says Union Pacific is holding back on its promises to make their schedules more predictable.
Read more »
Union Pacific hasn’t yet lived up to deal to give all its engineers predictable schedulesOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific is holding back on its promises to make schedules more predictable for train crews to address the quality of life
Read more »
Union Pacific hasn't yet lived up to deal to give all its engineers predictable schedulesThe union that represents train engineers says Union Pacific is holding back on its promises to make their schedules more predictable.
Read more »
Union Pacific hasn't yet lived up to deal to give all its engineers predictable schedulesThe union that represents train engineers says Union Pacific is holding back on its promises to make their schedules more predictable.
Read more »
Union Pacific hasn't yet lived up to deal to give all its engineers predictable schedulesThe union that represents train engineers says Union Pacific is holding back on its promises to make their schedules more predictable. These quality of life concerns nearly caused a nationwide rail strike two years ago.
Read more »