Railroad System Found Dangerous

April 3, 2000
Federal railroad inspectors said the CSX Transportation system up and down the East Coast has several potentially dangerous defects in many areas.

Federal railroad inspectors said the CSX Transportation system used by passenger and commuter trains up and down the East Coast has deteriorating track conditions and other potentially dangerous defects in many areas, according to The Washington Post.

The Post reported that a 60 percent increase in track-caused accidents over five years on the 22,700-mile system prompted the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to begin a two-week systemwide track audit on Feb. 22.

The review found many instances where the distance between the rails had spread wide enough to risk derailment.

Two such wide areas were found in the District of Columbia on the line used by Amtrak, Virginia Railway Express and all north-south CSX freight trains.

The defects were repaired immediately after they were found.

Defects were also found in Florida, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Two of three recent track-caused derailments were caused by wide track, including a minor derailment of Amtrak's Chicago-Washington Capitol Limited at Connellsville, Pa., on Jan. 30, the report said.

George Gavalla, the agency's associate administrator for safety, said he worried about the type of defects inspectors found.

"When you look at the nature of the defects, these are conditions that should not exist on any Class One (major) railroad," Gavalla told the Post. "We will not tolerate wide gauge on any railroad."

John W. Snow, chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corp., responded to the story about the FRA's findings.

"There can be no compromise on any safety condition on our railroad," said Snow. "We recognize some problems and openly welcome the FRA's draft report in the spirit it is offered -- a genuine and sincere interest in assuring even greater safety on our railroad."

Snow said CSX has repaired or is in the process of repairing all of the defects identified in the report.

CSX, headquartered in Richmond, Va., operates the largest rail network in the eastern United States.

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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