The Nation - News from June 10, 1988

The Senate gave final congressional approval to a bill that would for the first time prohibit train crews from disabling safety devices and require railroad engineers to obtain licenses. The legislation, which was approved on a voice vote, now goes to the White House for President Reagan’s signature. Administration officials have expressed support for the measure. The bill is a response to the Jan. 4, 1987, disaster in Chase, Md., that killed 16 people and injured 175 others when three linked Conrail locomotives ran a stop signal and collided with an Amtrak passenger train. It was discovered after the accident that the Conrail crew had used tape to disable equipment that warns the crew if the train passes a stop signal. Licenses would be denied to those with alcohol-related or drug-related convictions, pending completion of a rehabilitation program.