Tuesday, June 30, 1998 (Washington, DC) FRA Orders Safety Improvements on Northwestern Pacific Railroad

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced that it has issued a compliance order directing the Northwestern Pacific Railroad to improve railroad safety throughout its 300-mile transportation network.

The order remains in effect until all the conditions have been met and follows a safety compliance agreement executed one year ago between the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, the FRA, and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

The agreement stipulated that the railroad would immediately make specific safety improvements while the FRA postponed plans to issue a compliance order against the railroad. In the one year since the signing of the agreement, the Northwestern Pacific Railroad has met only three of the 11 terms of the agreement.

"Safety is President Clinton’s highest transportation priority," said FRA Administrator Jolene M. Molitoris. "Unfortunately, our efforts a year ago did not stimulate the kind of improvement necessary to make this railroad safe, and we now must take stronger remedial measures with a compliance order."

The compliance order makes the railroad liable for civil penalties of up to $22,000 for each violation of the order. Each day that a violation continues constitutes a separate offense.

As a result of the FRA’s normal inspection plan, and in partnership with the CPUC, review of the Northwestern Pacific’s compliance with federal safety statutes and regulations revealed widespread noncompliance. The safety compliance agreement limits shipments of hazardous materials to two cars per train and discontinues the railroad’s passenger service. However, the FRA and the CPUC find that further improvements, as specified in the agreement, are still needed.

The compliance order requires Northwestern Pacific to:

Certify its track and equipment inspections;
Restrict transporting hazardous materials;
Develop a track maintenance program for the next 12 months;
Improve training programs for all track and equipment personnel and require certification by management; and
Properly perform single car tests and repair tests for all cars.

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad operates on 300 miles of track in California. Its headquarters is in Eureka. Copies of the compliance order are available from the FRA Office of Public Affairs Office at (202) 632-3124.