COUNTY ASKS FOR REPORT ON RAIL SAFETY.Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer Seeking to hold Union Pacific accountable for the second local train derailment derailment /de·rail·ment/ (de-ral´ment) disordered thought or speech characteristic of schizophrenia and marked by constant jumping from one topic to another before the first is fully realized. in 16 months, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County supervisors on Tuesday ordered a report on what steps can be taken to prevent another train crash. A Union Pacific train derailed Saturday near Pico Rivera Pico Rivera (pē`kō rĭvĕr`ə), city (1990 pop. 59,177), Los Angeles co., SW Calif., SE of Los Angeles on the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo rivers; inc. 1958 with the union of Pico and Rivera into one community. , severely damaging two homes and prompting the evacuation of 200 people. ``This is a very disturbing development in the wake of last year's accident in the city of Commerce when a Union Pacific derailment damaged homes and terrified ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. residents,'' Supervisor Gloria Molina Gloria Molina is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[1] Molina grew up as one of ten children in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera, California, U.S. said. ``Union Pacific must be held accountable for ensuring the safety of its tracks. These are the same tracks utilized by Metrolink commuter lines each weekday.'' Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley said electronic cars are used to inspect the tracks three times a week, but didn't detect any problem with the rail, which apparently broke when a rail car went over it. ``It's like an ultrasound test for the rails,'' Bromley said. ``That goes on in all our mainline tracks on a systemwide basis. The railroad will certainly work with the county (supervisors) to provide them with the kind of information they are seeking and provide details on our safety measures safety measures, n.pl actions (e.g., use of glasses, face masks) taken to protect patients and office personnel from such known hazards as particles and aerosols from high-speed rotary instruments, mercury vapor, radiation exposure, anesthetic and .'' Bromley said the derailment in Commerce in June 2003, which involved a runaway train that destroyed two homes and injured 13 people, was unrelated to track conditions. The supervisors directed the County Counsel's Office to work with the Office of Emergency Management and report back in 15 days with an analysis of safety issues related to fatigued rail tracks Rail tracks are used on railways (or railroads), which, together with railroad switches (or points), guide trains without the need for steering. Tracks consist of two parallel steel rails, which are laid upon sleepers (or cross ties) that are embedded in ballast to form the in unincorporated communities. The report is expected to include various recommendations, including the possibility of creating buffer zones in impacted communities, amending state laws related to railroad safety and possible legal remedies. The supervisors also directed the County Counsel's Office to ask Union Pacific and the National Transportation Safety Board to submit a status report on its inspection of railroad tracks in the county. ``What we are asking for is that they come back with a report in 15 days, giving us an analysis of what went wrong and also what steps they want to take in order to prevent something like this from happening again,'' Molina spokeswoman Roxanne Marquez said. Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985 troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com |
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