The fatal Amtrak passenger train wreck last February in South Carolina killed two Amtrak crew members and sent hundreds of passengers to the hospital after the train running at 57 mph on CSX railroad lines slammed into parked locomotives. A single switch set in the wrong direction was the catalyst for the terrible crash. A switch that was supposed to be realigned for the main track by a CSX conductor who was working nearby—according to information revealed by recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearings.
The oversight cost lives and shattered public trust. It may also be, unfortunately, illustrative of a company that is more focused on "efficiency and profits" rather than safety, according to the railroad conductor who spoke to the Post and Courier in Charleston South Carolina following the accident.
Emphasis switched from safety to getting things done, explained the conductor who admitted to failing to set the switch correctly: He also explained that then-CEO Harrison did away with a number of safety-focused rules, including a three-step verification protocol, brake sticks and more.
In 2017 alone, CSX head management put into effect as many as 133 rule changes, according to an unidentified speaker in the hearings’ transcript—many of which were initially implemented by Hunter Harrison, the late CEO of CSX.
With specific protocols designed to increase safety now gone, CSX has struggled to explain a rising number of accidents and crashes throughout the country. Last year, CSX Corp was involved in at least 205 accidents, which is significantly above industry average and 62 percent higher than its major competitor—all despite the fact that the rate of train accidents for Class I railroads nationwide is decreasing, according to published reports. Concurrently, CSX has continued to cut their workforce, with projected numbers showing an additional 3,000 workers to be trimmed by 2020.
Not surprisingly, CSX Corp is seeing record earnings as they continue to cut back on people and safety processes, something current CSX CEO James Foote seems to be proud of. He recently explained the company’s financial status to the Jacksonville Business Journal: “Hunter had his charisma; I’m just here to do a job. We led the industry in the first quarter in terms of efficiency... [and] the efficiency metric in this quarter was the lowest in the history of the U.S. railroad industry.”
Profitable numbers… but at what cost? When you consider that such earnings come from a company whose accident rate has increased 73 percent from 2013 through 2017, it’s obvious to those who must live and work near these rail lines that the price is far too high.
