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| FRA Addresses Safety Concerns in San Antonio On November 16th, The Federal Railroad Administration met with San Antonio and Bexar county leaders in response to 6 train accidents involving Union Pacific in the past 6 months. Two of the accidents involved deaths --a derailment involving the release of toxic chemicals claimed 3 lives in June and another person died when a rail car collided with a building in November. The FRA signed a safety compliance agreement with Union Pacific that establishes steps UP should take to improve safety, including employee training. Failure to comply with agreement could result in legal action. In addition to the compliance agreement, the FRA has added 10 new inspectors to Bexar County, and plans to add up to 5 more. In response to the agreement, UP spokeswoman Kathryn Blackwell stated that they are already taking steps to retrain safety managers an implementing improvements nationwide. However, county officials do not think the agreement is enough. The Star-Telegram (Nov 16, 2004) quotes the US Representative from San Antonio, Charlie Gonzales, as stating that the FRA should have issued a compliance order. "This agreement simply says that Union Pacific now will abide by the existing regulations," he said. "We've given everybody the benefit of the doubt. We've been patient. But I don't think we've seen the kind of response that would have been appropriate, given the history." The FRA maintains that compliance agreements are a necessary and effective means to enact safety improvements.
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