SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — State regulators are scrambling to hire two railroad-bridge inspectors amid a surge in crude oil shipments by train.
The Contra Costa County Times reported Sunday (http://tinyurl.com/mx2klcd ) that the safety of thousands of railroad bridges in California is now left to rail line companies and one federal inspector responsible for 11 states. In contrast, the California agency in charge of roads — Caltrans — employs 120 inspectors and 80 other workers to examine the state’s automobile bridges.
One of the first tasks for the new inspectors once they are hired by the California Public Utilities Commission will be to compile a list of all railroad bridges in the state. No such list exists. The commission estimates there are about 5,000 railroad bridges, most of them privately owned.
No railroad bridge has failed in recent memory.
After the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that shook California’s Napa wine region last month, the Federal Railroad Administration and state regulators contacted train companies to ensure bridges in the area were inspected. No damage was reported. The Napa Valley Wine Train stopped running for two days after the Aug. 24 quake. The railroad’s private inspector examined tracks and bridges used by the wine train and found no damage. The train began running again on Aug. 26.
Environmentalists and others say leaving safety inspections to railroad companies is too risky, especially because more crude oil is being shipped by trains. The state energy commission reported a 158 percent increase in the amount of oil carried by railroad in California from just September to December 2013.
Suma Peesapati, an attorney with the Earthjustice environmental groups, said oil shipments should be halted until bridges are inspected. “Two more inspectors is better than none. But it’s really a Band-Aid,” Peesapati said.
Railroad companies defend their inspection record. Union Pacific said it spent more than $42 billion on infrastructure and plans to spend $4.1 billion this year. The company didn’t specify how much it spent on bridges and their inspections.
“These are private investments, not taxpayer dollars,” Union Pacific spokesman Aaron Hunt said.
