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Straight
Track #224
In a report on the conduct of the Deputy Administrator of the Federal
Railroad Administration, Kenneth M. Mead – the Inspector General of the
U.S. Department of Transportation – concluded that "systemic safety
issues still exist with the four major railroads, which raise questions
about the adequacy of FRA’a regulatory oversight."
As part of an investigation of the "long-time friendship" between the
FRA Deputy Administrator and a Union Pacific lobbyist, the Inspector
General reported that "substantial safety and inspection issues exist
for the four major railroads, including Union Pacific. Union Pacific had
the highest average number of train accidents (weighted -- per million
train miles) of the four major railroads during [FY 1998-200 and FY
2001-2003]. Yet, Union Pacific has been inspected proportionally less,
ranking third in FRA inspections per million train miles between those
periods. These data, compounded by Union Pacific’s recent spate of
accidents, raise questions as to the adequacy of the extent of FRA
inspections and whether FRA’s regulatory oversight process is
sufficient."
In short, "significant safety issues persist," the Inspector General
concluded.
Click here to download the complete report
from Inspector General Mead (pdf file).
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