EL PASO, Texas — A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board says a Union Pacific conductor was killed last month when riding on a car that struck a derail during a switching move near UP’s Alfalfa Yard in El Paso.
Train ISIEP-29, consisting of a locomotive and 61 cars, was making a reverse move at about 9:14 p.m. with the conductor riding on the lead car when it encountered a derailing device that had been placed on the track to protect maintenance-of-way employees installing a switch at the east end of the yard. The first two cars derailed, with the lead car landing on its side, sliding into a residential property, and severing a natural gas line, leading to a brief evacuation [see “Crew member dies in Union Pacific derailment …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 30, 2022].
The investigation is ongoing, with further activity focusing on UP communication procedures relating to train movements from controlled to non-controlled track, as well as operating practices.
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