Union Pacific fined over $7 million in 2 years
June 12, 2016, 12:54 PM. PDT
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Union Pacific penalties surpass every railroad nationwide for the past two years.
The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained inspection records and reports that the Federal Railroad Agency fined Union Pacific over $7 million from 2014 through 2015.
An Oregon Department of Transportation inspection found repeated safety violations the day before Union Pacific train cars carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire on June 3.
The issues listed by state inspectors appear unrelated to the derailment.
Conductors left trains in Portland yards without setting breaks on multiple occasions, which an expert said could cause runaway trains.
Inspectors also found four instances since September when switches were left unlocked and made it possible for anyone to pull a lever and reroute a train.
A Union Pacific spokesman said the railroad stands by its safety record.