HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06131989 - 1.59 V0' 1-959
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: Phil Batchelor , County Administrator Contr
Costa
DATE: June 13 , 1989 CoLm.
SUBJECT: Train Rail Safety
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION
1 . Accept this report, prepared by the Office of Emergency
Services, on the issue of train rail safety.
2. Request staff of the Office of Emergency Services, Health ,
Services Department, Sheriff-Coroner and Contra Costa County
Fire Protection District to meet with representatives of the
Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads and the Federal
Railroad Administration and State Public Utilities Commission
to determine the roles and responsibilities of each agency in
the event of a train accident involving the release of
hazardous materials.
BACKGROUND
On March ' 21 , 1989, on the recommendation of Supervisor Fanden , the
Board of Supervisors requested the Office of Emergency Services to
report to the Board on the safety of train rail routes along the
waterfront in the county and to determine a periodic inspection
reporting procedure to insure rail safety.
There are two major train rail routes within Contra Costa County.
The Southern Pacific rail enters western Contra Costa County into
the City of Richmond from the City of Albany in Alameda County.
From Richmond north, this rail follows right along the waters edge
through Rodeo, Crockett, Martinez , Pittsburg and Antioch. From
Antioch the aouthern Pacific rail runs southward to Brentwood and
Byron and exits the southeast corner of Contra Costa County just
south of the Clifton Court Forebay. Southern Pacific also has a
rail which runs from Martinez across the Martinez-Benicia Bridge
northward into So:lano County.
The Santa Fe rail also runs from Richmond and follows a similar
route as the Southern Pacific but follows amore inland route
through Franklin Canyon and Concord joining the Southern Pacific
rail just north of the Concord Naval Weapons Station . From that
point, the two railsystems parallel each other to Pittsburg at
which point the Santa Fe rail splits north of the Southern Pacific
running to Oakley and from there southeast to the Mokelumne
Aqueduct and then east to .San Joaquin County.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _$_ YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATIONS OF SO D COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON L13 3 1989 - APPROVED AS RECOi..WZNDED _js_ -OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
JC UNANIMOUS {ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
CC: Health Services ATTESTED JUN 13
Sheriff-Coroner PHIL BATCHELOR. CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
CCC Fire Protection District SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY DEPUTY
M382/7-83
Re: Train Rail Safety (continued )
Railroads are subject to federal law administered by the U. S.
Department of Transportation , Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) . In California, the FRA standards and regulations are
enforced through a joint effort of the FRA and the State Public
Utilities Commission (PUC) , Railroad Safety Branch. Both FRA and
PUC personnel conduct inspections of train tracks, train cars and
engines, and • operating practices to assure that railroads are
complying with federal regulations. In addition , the FRA also
conducts inspections of hazardous materials procedures and
railroad signal systems. California is part of an FRA region
which also includes the states of Nevada , Utah and Arizona . The
office of the Regional Director is located in San Francisco.
FRA and PUC personnel have a close working relationship with
regard to railroad safety inspections. Railroads are subject to
inspections performed by both agencies . The agencies cooperate
with each other with regard to the sharing of inspection
information and enforcement of railroad regulations. Jointly,
they are able to keep track of noted violations and follow up to
insure that appropriate corrective action is taken . Railroads
have the responsibility to operate and maintain their equipment in
accordance with federal standards. Railroads have their own
personnel who conduct periodic inspections to -assure the standards
are being met. The FRA and PUC conduct inspections to insure that
the railroads internal inspection program is, in fact, resulting
in regulation compliance. Railroads are subject to monetary fines
levied by the FRA for failure to comply with regulations and
standards . Very serious violations may result in the
discontinuation of certain railroad operations or initiation of
litigation .
FRA and PUC railway inspectors are assigned to specific geographic
areas. In addition , the inspectors specialize in certain aspects
of railroads such as train rail , locomotives and cars, hazardous
materials , signal systems and operating practices. Inspectors
coordinate their efforts to assure that their individual expertise
is made available to all inspection areas as needed . FRA and PUC
staff conduct regular, periodic inspections as well as accident
investigations . The frequency of inspections is based on the
following critieria , in priority order:
1 . AMTRAK: train routes carrying passengers are of highest
inspection priority. This, or course, is due to the fact
that passenger trains have the greatest potential for
loss of life or injury to people in the event of a train
accident.
2. Hazardous Materials: Train routes carrying hazardous
materials have a higher priority for inspection than do
routes which do not carry such materials.
3. Speed : The speed at which trains travel determines the
frequency of inspections. The higher the train speed ,
the more frequent are the inspections.
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Re: Train Rail Safety (Continued )
4. Annual Tonnage: The more freight carried over a
particular train route, the more often the inspections.
5. Compliance History: Train routes having a history of
regulatory deficiencies are inspected more frequently
than train routes where no previous violations have
occurred .
Contra Costa County is high on the priority list for periodic
railroad inspections due to the fact that passenger carrying
trains (AMTRAK) pass through our county as well as a high amount
of hazardous materials.
The FRA and PUC develop annual plans for conducting railroad
inspections to assure compliance with federal regulation . For
1989, the FRA region plan for the 4-state region comprised of
California, Nevada , Utah and Arizona provides for the following:
ITEM NO OF INSPECTIONS
1 - Freight Cars 38,500
2 - Locomotives 31540
3 - Brake Tests 250
4 - Operating Practices 1 , 700
5 - Railroad Track 81000 miles
6 - Signal Units 75500
7 - Hazardous Materials 404
8 - Tank Cars 69000
9 - Shipper Operations 115
In addition to its regular inspection program, both the FRA and
PUC conduct railroad accident investigations. The purpose of such
investigations is to determine the cause of the accident, issue
violations if regulation non-compliance was a contributing factor
and require the railroads to take corrective actions to prevent
such accidents from re-occurring .
Train accidents involving the release of hazardous materials are
of particular concern because of the potential danger to nearby
residents and because of the coordination required among the
various public and private agencies who become involved in
responding to such an incident. For these reasons,
representatives of such agencies should meet to discuss their
respective emergency response roles and responsibilities.
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