(The Enterprise-Record posted the following article by Ariel Cohn on its website on March 6.)
CHICO, Calif. — Union Pacific railroad representatives Tuesday outlined how 70-mph trains through Chico will be safe, but left city officials wondering why the explanation didn’t come sooner.
About eight Union Pacific officials and two members of the Federal Railroad Administration lectured the Chico City Council on train safety.
Ultimately, the council voted unanimously to exercise its only remaining option – to write a letter to U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Wally Herger asking for legislation requiring railroads to hold a public hearing before raising speed limits.
On Dec. 15, Union Pacific raised its speed limit from 45 mph to 55 mph. The speed limit then was raised to 70 mph on Jan. 15. Chico residents and officials have expressed concern that trains traveling 70 mph will increase the risk to both vehicles and pedestrians, particularly because the tracks divide Chico State University from a large segment of student housing.
Vice Mayor Coleen Jarvis chided the railroad executives for raising speeds in Chico without consulting the community.
“The ability of the railroad to do it without holding a public meeting is, I think, abhorrent,” Jarvis said.
The letter also will include objections to the increased speed raised in a March 4 letter to city officials from Timothy Smith, chairman of the board of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers union’s California chapter.
According to Smith’s letter, raising the speed would reduce the reaction time of both train engineers and pedestrians, increase the damage from a possible derailment and raise the likelihood of a hazardous material spill.
“The Union Pacific Railroad has a bad track record in maintenance,” Smith wrote. “Resolution against this will send the message to your public that you are doing all you can to stop this madness.”
Mayor Maureen Kirk had already written to representatives in the Congress, to no avail.
“I don’t think we’ll get very far, but we can try,” Kirk said of the new letter.
Ted Lewis, Union Pacific’s general director of regional operations, said he investigates train accidents. He said rapid deceleration in Chico could cause accidents rather than prevent them.
“The majority of the time it has to do with the changing of speed, not the speed itself,” he said. “You’re actually creating the potential for a problem more so than if you let the train continue at the same speed.”
Mike Furtney, a railroad public relations representative, said fast trains have a track record of safety.
“It’s well established around the world that trains can run safely at much higher speeds than they do here,” he said.
The federal government gave the railroads the authority to set their own speeds to facilitate interstate commerce, Furtney said. He said the railroad passes through more than 7,000 communities.
“If each town decided they wanted a different speed, we’d be crippled,” Furtney said.
Jeff Asay, Union Pacific’s general solicitor, said 70-mph speeds are the norm, except where physical constraints prevent it.
“70 mph is our limit throughout our system,” Asay said. “That’s what we run all through our system, from Chicago to New Orleans to Texas.”
As expected, the Federal Railroad Administration, which oversees train safety, reported that the tracks in Chico are safe and the railroad has the right to run trains at 70 mph.
LeeAnn Preece, a regional assistant manager with the federal administration, said the tracks were inspected Feb. 18. She said the administration inspects the tracks two or three times a year.
Union Pacific’s tracks in Chico are designated “class 5,” allowing freight trains to travel at speeds of 80 mph, and passenger trains at 90 mph.
“We found that the track was acceptable at the minimum standards for class 5,” Preece said.
The federal administration has no authority to impose speed limits on the railroad, unless inspections find the track conditions to be deficient.
“The railroad sets the speed on the track,” Preece said. “We can’t tell the railroad how to run their business. If they want to do something, we make sure that it’s done safely.”
Asay said the most modern sensor equipment has been installed at intersections in Chico to shut down crossing traffic before a train arrives.
“You get about 30 seconds of advance warning time for any train regardless of how fast it’s going,” Asay said.
But such assurances rang hollow for Chico resident Jackie Powers, who said her daughter was killed while traversing a road/rail intersection containing a malfunctioning traffic signal.
“Union Pacific killed my daughter eight years ago. These guys are not necessarily watching where they’re going, not really paying attention,” she said.
Resident Bob Grady said he worried about the possibility of hazardous materials being spilled.
“The concern I have is the personal safety of residents in Chico,” Grady said. “It’s just increasing the chances of a major disaster.”