What Happened
What Happened
On July 6, 2024, about 1:36 a.m. local time, a Union Pacific Railroad (UP) conductor was killed in a raking collision while protecting a shoving movement at UP’s Proviso Yard in Melrose Park, Illinois.[1] At the time of the accident, eastbound train MPRNL-06 was traveling along the South Melrose Track out of Proviso Yard 4. At the same time, train MCBCH-05 was shoving west on the City Lead Track, which merges with South Melrose Track. The conductor of train MCBCH-05 was positioned on the leading end of a tank car when it struck the right side of train MPRNL-06.
[1](a) Shoving is the process of pushing railcars or a train from the rear with a locomotive. (b) A raking collision is a collision between parts or lading of a consist on an adjacent track or with a structure such as a bridge.
What We Found
What We Found
We determined that the probable cause of the Union Pacific Railroad train collision was the conductor, who Union Pacific Railroad sent into the field without performance-based verification that he could safely navigate the territory, not alerting the engineer to stop the train before reaching the designated stopping point.
Contributing to the accident was Union Pacific Railroad’s failure to provide the required and requested assistance to the inexperienced conductor who was not familiar with the territory. Further contributing to the accident was the striking train crew proceeding with riding the shoving movement after being informed by the yard controller that no additional support would be provided.
What We Recommended
As a part of the UP response to this accident, they issued a Critical Incident Alert reaffirming safety standards and regulations for job aids and shoving movement procedures, and further stressing the importance of staying vigilant, maintaining situational awareness of the current task, and being aware of present conditions while performing tasks. During this investigation, the NTSB concluded that UP was not providing job aids throughout its system. As part of the response, UP indicated that they corrected the issue systemwide, and that all UP locations now have up-to-date job aids.
This accident demonstrates the importance of ensuring that conductors tasked with more complex maneuvers, such as leading a train during a shoving movement, possess the training, experience, and personnel support needed to safely perform the task. Crews with limited experience operating in unfamiliar territories are exposed to inherent risks; they must be provided with the required and requested support to complete their tasks safely.
