APTOS, Calif. — When the train derailed Nov. 18 behind their homes, Deb Snyder and Becky Burgin expected rail officials would be concerned about the poor condition of the track, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported.
But repair crews for the biggest railroad in North America have come and gone, leaving loose spikes to hold the new track in place, along with a pile of asphalt debris. The new concrete crossing installed on Estates Drive is so high it ripped the exhaust pipe off a car. The new rocks along the rails are sharp enough to cut a dog’s paw.
Snyder contends the repairs haven’t solved the biggest problem — poor drainage that puts the railroad ties under water and warps the wood. Her phone calls to the railroad have gone unanswered.
“What irritates us most is the apathy,” added Burgin, who has lived on Estates Drive since 1981.
Snyder and Burgin are not the only critics. Two derailments in the past month despite speed limits of 10 mph have prompted residents to ask for an investigation of track safety.
Chris Jones reported seeing spikes working their way loose along the track in Capitola.
“It is no surprise to me that trains have been derailing. What surprises me is that there is no follow-up, looking at the number of derailments,” Jones said.
Union Pacific experienced 62 derailments in California in 2002 through September, including four in Santa Cruz County.
Aptos contractor Arlos Anderson said railroad bridges should get special scrutiny.
“Does anyone bother to be proactive and address these mechanical time bombs?” he asked. “I’m waiting for the entire bridge to collapse over the San Lorenzo (River).”
Local officials say they have called Union Pacific but were disappointed by the response.
Robin Musitelli, an aide to county Supervisor Ellen Pirie, said railroad officials blamed vandals when a crossing bar in Aptos woke up residents at night like a ringing alarm clock.
When they kept watch, and the bar came down with no one around, the railroad wouldn’t admit any problem, Musitelli added.
“We can’t even get them to clean up the graffiti on the bridges over Highway 1,” she said.
When she inquired about having volunteers paint over the graffiti, she was told the railroad charged $1,000 for a permit.
The Sentinel has found that Union Pacific derailments are up dramatically in Santa Cruz County.
In addition to the incidents this month and last, derailments occurred in February and June this year. There were three last year.
The derailments cost Union Pacific more than $400,000 in damages, not counting the two recent ones, for which figures are not yet available.
The previous eight years were nearly accident-free in Santa Cruz County, with only one derailment, in January 1999. Union Pacific spokesman Mike Furtney said the 31-mile rail line will be shut down for a month while the track is inspected and repairs made.
“Track gangs are out there now,” Furtney said. “Anything that needs to get fixed, will get fixed.”
He declined to say how much would be spent on upgrades locally, but pointed out the company has budgeted $2 billion for capital spending overall.
“For a company with $12 billion in revenue, that’s a significant amount,” he said. He also declined to comment on the increase in derailments, saying “each one is unique.”
As for track maintenance, the Federal Railroad Administration requires annual inspections, and the usual procedure is to inspect tracks on a weekly basis, he said. The shutdown is bad news for the cement plant in Davenport, which has 150 employees and customers from Sacramento to Bakersfield.
The plant, which relies on coal shipped by rail, has shifted to trucking via Highway 1 until the rail line is back in operation.
“It’s the only way to keep the plant running,” said Satish Sheth, vice president of operations for RMC Materials, which is the only company using the rail line. “We can’t afford to shut down. Our customers need the product.”
About 90 rail cars are backed up at the rail junction in Watsonville. RMC crews are unloading them by hand for the trip up Highway 1, which means higher operating costs.
Highway 1 commuters will see the end result.
Sheth estimated it will take 25 truckloads per day to get the raw materials to the cement plant because each rail car carries the equivalent of four truckloads.
“We rely on Union Pacific to do monitoring and maintenance,” he said, “With two derailments, management got the message this is too much.”
Warren Flatau of the Federal Railroad Administration in Washington, D.C., admitted track conditions in Santa Cruz County are “less than perfect” though he was unfamiliar with the local complaints.
“The railroad is aware of this situation and intends to undertake upgrades,” he said. “If we go out and discover non-compliant conditions, defects or deficiencies, we have a variety of enforcement tools. Plenty of times we take enforcement action.”
Flatau suggested complaints be directed to Union Pacific’s vice president of California operations and offered to help coordinate conversations between railroad executives and local officials.
“We of course would be more than happy to participate in any discussion or dialogue,” he said.
Residents can send letters to the Federal Railroad Administration at 1120 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20590.
Derailments up Union Pacific derailments have increased dramatically in Santa Cruz County in the past two years, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Damage estimates for the two recent incidents have yet to be filed.