Whittier : Train Blockage Trial Slated
Trial has been scheduled Oct. 7 for Southern Pacific Transportation Co. on six counts of illegally blocking intersections in Pico Rivera and Whittier. Southern Pacific has been charged with allowing its trains to block streets in violation of a state Public Utilities Commission regulation prohibiting street blockages for more than 10 minutes, barring mechanical problems or other unforeseeable violations.
Each of the six misdemeanor counts relates to a separate blockage, the longest of which was a 48-minute stop in Pico Rivera in April.
The company pleaded not guilty to the charges during its arraignment last month in the Whittier branch of the Los Angeles Municipal Court. Since the beginning of 1984, Southern Pacific has been charged with 25 counts of illegally blocking intersections. Through plea bargains, the company has pleaded no contest to eight of the charges and been fined $6,750.
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