Collisions Blamed on Industry Growth
In response to two head-on collisions in Mississippi in the last month, The Clarion-Ledger, a Mississippi newspaper published an article suggesting that an increase in rail business may come with an increase in accidents. The paper quotes former railroad administrator Gil Carmichael as stating, “It’s a rare event, but there may be more coming.” Carmichael goes on to point out that during the ‘70’s and ‘80’s many railroads downsized and went from double tracks to single. “Removing the second set of tracks set the stage for these kind of accidents.”
However, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration pointed out that even though there has been a dramatic increase in rail traffic in recent years, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of rail accidents. In 2004 head-on collisions dropped to 11 from 13 in 2003. There have been 4 so far in 2005, including the 2 in Mississippi.
Railroads are also expanding to double tracks again in congested areas, to improve safety and operational efficiency. Burlington Northern does have double track in operation along major routes all the way to the West Coast. Other Class 1 railroads are working to improve capacity and safety along their lines.