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ACC: Blocked crossings "are not acceptable"
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) is cracking down on trains blocking the Central Avenue crossing in Bowie.
Commissioner Kris Mayes said Friday that Union Pacific has been put on notice that the blockages "are not acceptable."
The commission is responding to concerns filed by Bruce E. Brown, superintendent of the Bowie Unified School District, and Mark Cook, with the Sierra Farming Company in Bowie.
The two Bowie residents had written to Mayes recently regarding Union Pacific's double-track project.
Commission staff will be conducting "spot inspections," in which the railroad would not be notified prior to inspection, Mayes told the Range News.
"If there are blockages greater than 10 minutes, they can be fined for that," said Mayes, adding that preliminary information indicates that Union Pacific and Arizona Eastern Rail Road are both blocking the Central Avenue crossing.
"It's occurring during interchanges when Union Pacific is picking up cargo from Eastern that's coming from the mines."
"What bothers me most is that people in Bowie feel that Union Pacific thinks it's okay because it's Bowie," she said. "It's not okay. It's got to stop. It's not acceptable for it to happen in Bowie. It's not acceptable for it to happen anywhere."
In the meantime, Bowie Superintendent Bruce Brown met with Union Pacific officials earlier this month.
Brown learned that there would not be two tracks at the Central Avenue crossing, but three.
"There will be the two main line tracks, and one switching track," Brown told the Range News.
The July 10 meeting included Luis Heredia, area operations manager for Willcox-Lordsburg, and James Smith, manager, industry and public projects.
"They contend there will be fewer problems with the crossing in the future," Brown said in an e-mail to Brian Lehman of the ACC's Railroad Safety Division.
"They said they have taken the signal out that sometimes stopped trains on the crossing headed east and that Arizona Eastern Rail Road might be granted access to go all the way to Lordsburg and that would eliminate some staging and switching locally."
Arizona Eastern was not represented at the July 10 meeting.
"I was disappointed that Arizona Eastern Rail Road (AERR) was not at the meeting and they have not contacted me," Brown told the Range News.
"Union Pacific was not aware of Bowie Power Plant issues or the future delivery of coal by rail to their site. Apparently, Cochise County has not made them aware of changes to Central Avenue that might be required for construction of the power plant or about the truck traffic possible," he said.
Brown also talked to railroad officials about a quiet zone through the county, since there is no city of Bowie to apply for one, and designating it from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. There is no history of train/vehicle accidents at the crossing, he said.
Union Pacific also suggested that Arizona Eastern "might need to build a switching area north of the Union Pacific tracks to eliminate switching on the third track in the crossing," Brown said.
There is also a new signal going in right on the east side of the crossing for the tracks on the train side, he said.
Brown and the Union Pacific officials agreed to stay in contact regarding future issues, he said.
"One of the issues we have faced here is that we don't call the ACC when the tracks are closed and blocked for a period of time, we call the county or just question whoever it is that is there from Union Pacific," Brown told the Range News. "We need to call the ACC so they have a record of it. They have none, so it is partly our fault they aren't aware of what happens."
Commissioner Kris Mayes said Friday that Union Pacific has been put on notice that the blockages "are not acceptable."
The commission is responding to concerns filed by Bruce E. Brown, superintendent of the Bowie Unified School District, and Mark Cook, with the Sierra Farming Company in Bowie.
The two Bowie residents had written to Mayes recently regarding Union Pacific's double-track project.
Commission staff will be conducting "spot inspections," in which the railroad would not be notified prior to inspection, Mayes told the Range News.
"If there are blockages greater than 10 minutes, they can be fined for that," said Mayes, adding that preliminary information indicates that Union Pacific and Arizona Eastern Rail Road are both blocking the Central Avenue crossing.
"It's occurring during interchanges when Union Pacific is picking up cargo from Eastern that's coming from the mines."
"What bothers me most is that people in Bowie feel that Union Pacific thinks it's okay because it's Bowie," she said. "It's not okay. It's got to stop. It's not acceptable for it to happen in Bowie. It's not acceptable for it to happen anywhere."
In the meantime, Bowie Superintendent Bruce Brown met with Union Pacific officials earlier this month.
Brown learned that there would not be two tracks at the Central Avenue crossing, but three.
"There will be the two main line tracks, and one switching track," Brown told the Range News.
The July 10 meeting included Luis Heredia, area operations manager for Willcox-Lordsburg, and James Smith, manager, industry and public projects.
"They contend there will be fewer problems with the crossing in the future," Brown said in an e-mail to Brian Lehman of the ACC's Railroad Safety Division.
"They said they have taken the signal out that sometimes stopped trains on the crossing headed east and that Arizona Eastern Rail Road might be granted access to go all the way to Lordsburg and that would eliminate some staging and switching locally."
Arizona Eastern was not represented at the July 10 meeting.
"I was disappointed that Arizona Eastern Rail Road (AERR) was not at the meeting and they have not contacted me," Brown told the Range News.
"Union Pacific was not aware of Bowie Power Plant issues or the future delivery of coal by rail to their site. Apparently, Cochise County has not made them aware of changes to Central Avenue that might be required for construction of the power plant or about the truck traffic possible," he said.
Brown also talked to railroad officials about a quiet zone through the county, since there is no city of Bowie to apply for one, and designating it from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. There is no history of train/vehicle accidents at the crossing, he said.
Union Pacific also suggested that Arizona Eastern "might need to build a switching area north of the Union Pacific tracks to eliminate switching on the third track in the crossing," Brown said.
There is also a new signal going in right on the east side of the crossing for the tracks on the train side, he said.
Brown and the Union Pacific officials agreed to stay in contact regarding future issues, he said.
"One of the issues we have faced here is that we don't call the ACC when the tracks are closed and blocked for a period of time, we call the county or just question whoever it is that is there from Union Pacific," Brown told the Range News. "We need to call the ACC so they have a record of it. They have none, so it is partly our fault they aren't aware of what happens."
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