(The following article by Steven Wall was posted on the San Bernardino County Sun website on June 5.)
COLTON, Calif. — Some railroad workers are urging the city to adopt strict safety measures before Union Pacific switches to remote-control technology next week.
Starting next Monday, Union Pacific’s rail yard in Colton will convert to the new system of using unmanned, remote-control locomotives to sort train cars.
Colton is the company’s last yard in California to make the change, said Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis.
Critics contend the new technology is unsafe and produces more accidents than conventional switching methods.
But railroad officials say the remote system is safer and more efficient.
The Federal Railroad Administration, which began allowing the use of remote-control switching in other parts of the country in 2002, says the two methods are about the same in terms of safety.
In a report released in April, the railroad agency found the accident rate in rail yards that use automated technology was 25 percent higher than in yards that use manned locomotives. Despite that finding, the administration concluded that remote control is no more dangerous than conventional switching methods.
The debate over train safety comes as the region braces for an explosion of goods movement from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach through San Bernardino County over the next 20 years.
The increased train traffic has raised renewed concerns about the possibility of another disastrous derailment in the county.
In April 2005, a freight train carrying 60 tons of liquid chlorine and unknown amounts of liquid propane derailed near a San Bernardino neighborhood, forcing the evacuation of about 500 residents.
Although no injuries or deaths occurred, several residents complained of health problems stemming from the incident, which railroad officials blamed on uneven tracks caused by decades of wear and tear.
Residents also criticized authorities for providing an inadequate response to the disaster.
The derailment prompted state Sen. Nell Soto, D-Ontario, to introduce legislation last year requiring rail companies to foot costs to prepare residents for such a disaster. Senate Bill 351 is expected to be heard in the Assembly Local Government Committee on June 14.
“When a train derails, it is the people of the communities – including police, fire and other personnel – who are the first to respond,” Soto said in a statement issued Friday. “They do a fine job, but much more needs to be done. My bill would provide them with additional tools and resources to develop derailment evacuation plans and establish evacuation training programs and drills.”
Workers at the Colton yard, which handles about 1,500 rail cars a day, are pushing the City Council to pass a resolution requiring emergency-response procedures to be in place before the remote system is running.
“This place is dangerous to begin with,” said Richard Villines, who has worked at the Colton yard seven years. “There’s a high risk of injury and derailments just by the nature of the industry and the goods we transport. We’re increasing that risk by introducing technology that nobody wants.”
Federal and state authorities have yet to establish regulations for the use of remote control, said Gary Mayfield, who has worked at the Colton yard 28 years.
“At this time, the railroads are self-regulated with this technology,” said Mayfield, 53. “Cities have the power to enact legislation if they don’t want it or they think it’s unsafe.”
Colton officials said they would research if the city has the legal authority to develop its own standards.
“I’m sure it’s something our council will be interested in looking at,” Councilwoman Kelly Chastain said. “I can understand the concerns of the residents. I have questions too.”
The remote-control technology replaces the engineer with a computer onboard the locomotive. The computer is controlled by a 3-pound remote-control transmitter worn around the waist of the switchmen on the ground.
Railroad officials say the automated system reduces miscommunication because the ground crewmen can directly control the train without having to pass hand signals to the engineers. They said the technology automatically brings the locomotive to a stop if communication is interrupted and provides better control of train speeds so the operator can concentrate on train movement.
The remote-control system allows the railroad to transfer engineers from yard duties to long hauls.
Major railroads such as Union Pacific that use remote control have about the same accident rates as those that use conventional methods, the administration’s report said.
The administration “believes these operations can be conducted safely, provided employees are properly trained for the duties they are expected to perform and provided railroads maintain proper oversight during these operations,” Joseph Boardman, the railroad agency’s administrator, wrote in the report.
But some workers say locomotive engineers are essential to preventing disasters such as train breakaways and derailments.
“We’re concerned that you’re taking another set of eyes off the job,” said Ray Carver, president of BLET Division 56.