Dispatch Errors and System Failures Led to Fatal Union Pacific Train Crash, NTSB Report Reveals

A Union Pacific train crash in Southern California that claimed the lives of two workers was primarily caused by dispatching errors and the failure of backup safety systems, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report released on Thursday. The incident, which occurred in September 2022 near the Salton Sea, involved the train crashing into 75 railcars that had been parked on a side track for nine months.

The NTSB’s final report revealed that mistakes by dispatchers at Union Pacific’s Omaha headquarters led to the fatal collision. One dispatcher overruled the train crew’s warning that railcars were still on the siding, relying instead on a computer screen that did not reflect the actual track status. Another dispatcher ignored an alert about the track’s occupancy and sent the train into the siding without confirming its status.

The report highlighted that a dispatcher had improperly removed a note indicating that the track was occupied two weeks prior, without verifying that the track was empty. This error, along with the disregard of an additional warning about the siding, violated Union Pacific’s safety protocols.

Union Pacific has since implemented changes to enhance safety. The company has updated its computer-aided dispatch system and modified its procedures for notifying different departments about stored railcars. New rules now require dispatchers to work with field managers to verify the duration of railcar storage and ensure tracks are removed from service if cars will be stored for more than ten days. Additionally, dispatchers must confirm track clearance before removing any occupancy notes from the system.

Investigators also noted that the system occasionally failed to display parked railcars due to rust-related issues, causing intermittent problems with track visibility. Furthermore, Union Pacific’s rules for protecting long-term storage tracks, which required mechanical locks on switches, were not adhered to at the Bertram siding involved in the crash.

Union Pacific’s spokeswoman, Robynn Tysver, emphasized the company’s commitment to employee safety, stating that the organization has made significant improvements to prevent similar incidents in the future.