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NTSB blames BNSF for Amtrak Arizona crash

NEW YORK – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) blamed Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. on Tuesday for not properly inspecting the bridge that shifted under the weight of an Amtrak passenger train last August causing a derailment that injured 183 of the 312 passengers. No one was killed.

The NTSB said the probable cause of the crash was displacement of the BNSF track due to erosion of the foundations of the bridge during a severe flash flood and it said BNSF managers should have done a better inspection and slowed the train’s speed to fit the conditions. The high-speed train was traveling at 89 mph.

In its report, the NTSB also faulted the Federal Railroad Administration for not issuing minimum standards for special inspection procedures for bridges at risk during severe weather.

The Amtrak train carrying mostly vacationers went off the BNSF tracks about 13 miles east of Kingman, Arizona, early in the morning of Aug. 9, 1997.

The crew reported seeing a hump in the track as it approached the bridge, and applied the emergency brakes, but the train derailed as it crossed the bridge. Investigators later found the ground under the bridge’s supporting structure had been washed away.

Senate committee approves $555 million for Amtrak funding

WASHINGTON – The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $555 million in funding for Amtrak as part of a $47.5 billion transportation bill for fiscal 1999.

The total bill is an 11% increase in transportation spending over fiscal 1988, with the bulk of it going to highway construction.

The bill, which now goes to the full Senate, is a victory for Amtrak supporters, who overcame efforts by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, to eliminate Amtrak funding.

Shelby caved into pressure from senators representing states along Amtrak’s heavily traveled northeastern corridor. But the funding is still $66 million less than the $621 million requested by President Clinton.

Amtrak is expected to post a $845 million loss this year, according to the GAO.

Family killed when van hit by train

BENTON, Ten. – A family of five was killed less and a quarter-mile from their home when their van drove into the path of an oncoming freight train at a rural railroad crossing here Monday afternoon.

The crossing was not equipped with a gate or flashing lights. The train’s engineer saw the van on the tracks and blew the whistle, but it was too late for the train to stop.

Killed were Michael Varnell, 39, his wife Tammy, 32, and their three children, Jessica, 8, Kristin, 7, and Davey, 8.

The CSX train was headed from Jacksonville to Cincinnati. The van was pushed several hundred feet down the track after impact. The two-person train crew was unhurt.

CAW says no strike before October

TORONTO – The Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) sent a letter to 1,000 of Canadian National Railway’s top shippers promising it will not strike for three months while a labor contract is worked out.

The CAW is telling the shipping industry that it fears the railroad will lock out the union’s 6,500 CN employees. The CAW and CN claim to be close on most issues and that an agreement could be feasible. Only a pension dispute separates them, the CAW says. CN acknowledges pensions are an issue, but will not comment further.

But CN has appealed to the Canadian government to be released from the federal conciliation procedure now in place. CN is in the midst of buying the Illinois Central Railroad.

BMWE re-elects Fleming president

MONTREAL – The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE) reelected M.A. "Mac" Fleming president during the union’s 43^rd regular international convention.

Fleming and six of seven international vice presidents were elected by acclimation by the 500 delegates. Fleming, president of BMWE since 1990, will serve another 4-year term.

In his speech, Fleming said his union had a need for a more militant and proactive stance to achieve union goals.

Rail cutbacks in Germany panned by labor, passengers

FRANKFURT – A German railroad union and a passenger association criticized a proposal by the Deutsche Bahn railroad to cut nearly a fifth of its long-distance trains.

The German carrier said it needed to cut service to boost profitability amid a decline in passenger demand.

The railroad still must negotiate the proposed changes with Germany’s 16 states, who might be forced to boost local and regional trains to make up for the lost service.