(The following editorial appeared on the San Antonio Express-News website on October 14.)
SAN ANTONIO — In the past five months, four Union Pacific trains have derailed in Bexar County, a deadly situation that has placed this area in potentially grave peril.
The Union Pacific system, which stretches from the Midwest to the West Coast, is in crisis. Several years ago, the railroad failed to plan for a large increase in shipping, cut back on hiring and encouraged top management-level employees to take early retirement.
Now freight yards are clogged. Trains sit for days on tracks because there are no locomotives. And, in the opinion of Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and others, safety issues have been neglected.
Since the first derailment in May, Wolff has pressured the company — to little satisfaction. Wolff wants all rail lines moved away from downtown. That long-term solution will take years and at least $40 million, but it must be done.
The Texas Department of Transportation is working on a plan to divert traffic from downtown.
In the short term, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has asked for help from the Federal Railroad Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Hutchison, a former NTSB chairman, brings credibility and power when dealing with this problem. Her investigation will identify safety shortcomings and bring additional pressure on Union Pacific to improve safety procedures.
In response to recent pressure, Union Pacific officials have agreed to change operating procedures and add workers in this area to deal with increased traffic.
That, of course, is too little, too late.
Every day trains carrying hazardous cargo move through inner-city neighborhoods. Where will the next derailment occur? How many homes will have to be evacuated? How many lives lost?
Union Pacific’s crisis has become our crisis. The full weight of the federal, state and local government must be brought to bear to preserve the city’s safety.