The arrogance of both the FRA and the Union Pacific Railroad to ignore the public outcry for stiffer regulation on remote controlled locomotives and the death of a young man on December 12 who was forced to work an RCO job exhausted and alone...will not go unchecked. Both UP and the FRA continue to spout statistics about a 40% reduction in Yard accidents with the implementation of Remote Controlled Locomotives. However the FRA website seems to contradict those statements and reports a different set of statistics.
2001 - Number of Yard Accidents: 501 - 55.92% of all train accidents.
2002 - Number of Yard Accidents: 468 - 56.80% of all train accidents
2003 (available only through September) Number of Yard Accidents: 349 - 58.36% of all train accidents
UP is "right on track" statistically to incur another 116-120 yard incidents by the end of 2003. That would meet or exceed the statistics for 2002 and 2001. And as we all know...these are only "reported" accidents. So by your own statistics the overall percentage of accidents occuring in the train yard is OBVIOUSLY on the rise. How do you explain this? Where is this 40% reduction in yard incidents due to the implementation of Remote Control? The death of Jody Herstine was completely unnecessary and for the FRA to publicly assert that a single man operation involving this magnitude of equipment is safe....is nothing less than irresponsible. We expect alot more of your leadership Mr. Rutter, and we are expecting it quickly.
We look forward to your immediate response.
Citizens Demanding Safer Regulation of America's Railroads!!!!
