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March was not good to Union Pacific. In turn, Union Pacific was not good to highways and motorists, Amtrak train riders, nor to local communities along the tracks. RWU has documented at least five major derailments in March alone - one each in Texas, Kansas, and Nevada, and two in California, one in the north of the state and one in the south. In a few cases, highways were shut down, while in at least two others, Amtrak trains were forced to turn back, unable to obtain clearance through the wreckage.
The mishaps outlined below are a summary dating from March 1st to March 27th. In the space of just 27 days, Union Pacific wrecked five trains in five separate incidents, putting more than 100 rail cars on the ground, many of them and their contents completely destroyed. Thankfully, no one was injured or killed in any of these derailments.
All this comes as Union Pacific - the nation's largest Class One rail carrier - attempts to make the case that it should be allowed to absorb the nation's fourth largest railroad (Norfolk Southern) to become a mega-rail corporation of the size and power that the Robber Barons of the 19th century could only dream of. With this sort of safety record in just 27 days of March, is it really a good idea to give them even more power to run roughshod over workers, passengers, shippers, and communities? We say, HELL NO!
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