Rail car security tightened

Local, state and federal authorities outraged by the potential for disaster posed by Wednesday's runaway chlorine tanker never want to see such an incident repeated.

Union Pacific Railroad officials on Friday announced three measures being enacted immediately as a start to guaranteeing that.

To prevent cars from escaping the Arden train yard -- the starting point of the tanker incident -- Union Pacific is placing anchor cars at the north end of every track, with hand brakes applied. A statement from the company said that will prevent unattached cars from rolling out of the yard, located south of state Route 160.

Locomotives will be used to move hazardous material cars around as trains are being assembled. All such cars must be secured before the locomotive is disconnected.

The company also will conduct a thorough review of its emergency notification procedures to prevent a recurrence of the confusion that surrounded the contacting of local authorities during Wednesday's incident. A utility company survey crew was the first to inform police of the fast-moving runaway tanker, not the railroad.

"That process is a focus of the investigation," said Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis in Omaha, Neb. "We'll be looking at protocol and procedures and who called what and when."

Clark County and city of Las Vegas officials were appalled when details of what transpired during the incident emerged late Wednesday and Thursday.

Clark County Manager Virginia Valentine said she didn't receive a call from railroad executives until hours after the tanker was safely stopped by a Union Pacific maintenance crew, which ended a 20-minute uncontrolled run that saw the car loaded with poisonous gas traverse 20 miles of urban Clark County, from south to north.

Police dispatched units immediately after it received the utility company's tip at 8:49 a.m. Eight minutes into the incident, police learned that the car contained chlorine gas, a poisonous substance that can be fatal to those who suffer prolonged exposure.

"It is clear to us that Union Pacific's safety and notification plans are either fundamentally flawed or were not followed properly," Valentine wrote in a letter to Union Pacific obtained by the Review-Journal on Friday.

"The fact that no injuries or fatalities occurred as a result of this incident is nothing short of miraculous, considering this event could have resulted in the worst disaster in our community's history."

Valentine wrote the letter at the request of Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid. In it, she demands unfettered access to Union Pacific's safety plan, emergency operations plan, and warning and notification plan. She also wants a final report of the investigation, now being conducted by investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration and the Public Utilities Commission. It's not expected to be concluded for at least 30 days.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who on Thursday called for better notification of local authorities when hazardous materials are transported through city limits, could not be reached for comment.

The incident also captured the attention of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev. Porter plans to hold a public hearing on the transportation of hazardous materials in Las Vegas within the next few weeks.