Senator to UP: We want answers about corrupted safety study

The U.S. Senate has not forgotten its role in holding the big railroads accountable.

Maria Cantwell, the senator who heads the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, confronted Union Pacific boss Beth Whited over an aborted safety review in a letter to the carrier.

The Federal Railroad Administration had to cancel the study this spring after they discovered UP coached their employees on how to respond to investigators. The railroad’s obstruction did not stop there, as they continued to drag their feet on providing answers.

Sen. Cantwell has now demanded all communications related to the aborted safety review. Cantwell gave the carrier until Aug. 9 to deliver.

Union Pacific should focus on safety instead of playing games

Cantwell noted in her letter that UP is going in the wrong direction regarding safety with a higher-than-average derailment rate than other Class I railroads.

Everyone at the SMART-TD railroad union, along with Sen. Cantwell, is very interested in hearing what UP has to say about why they felt the need to mislead the FRA, and what Whited and her company are doing to deliver meaningful safety measures.

Ms. Whited, we’re all ears.

Read Sen. Cantwell’s letter below