(San Antonio television station KSAT posted the following article on its website on December 14.)
SAN ANTONIO – The National Transportation Safety Board issued new safety recommendations Wednesday for railroad companies, 1½ years after a deadly train derailment in south Bexar County.
NTSB members, who have been investigating the incident, recommended that railroads install an automatically activated device that will catch the attention of employees involved with switch operations.
The board also asked railroads to place tank cars toward the rear of trains, reduce the speed of trains through populated areas and carry breathing apparatus for crew members on trains carrying hazardous materials.
Four people, including crew member Heath Pape, were killed when a Union Pacific train derailed in June 2004, spewing deadly chlorine into the air near Loop 1604 and Nelson Road.
The NTSB determined crew fatigue as the preliminary probable cause of the accident.