Union Pacific vows to secure abandoned railcars in Pomona
Union Pacific Railroad has committed to cleaning out or locking over a dozen railcars parked on tracks in Pomona in the next week, according to a local politician.
Since at least November, the abandoned railcars have been stored on a portion of unused tracks owned by Union Pacific near Temple Avenue and Valley Boulevard.
U.S. Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona, said Friday she raised the need to increase public safety with representatives of the nation's railways at a hearing of the House Appropriations Transportation and Housing Subcommittee this week.
"As a result, Union Pacific met with my office the next day to discuss their plans to address this issue and committed to clearing or locking down the abandoned rail cars in Pomona within the next week," Torres said in a statement. "I commend them for their responsiveness and cooperation to ensure the well-being of every resident of the 35th Congressional District on our region's railways."
A representative for Union Pacific said in an email Saturday it is working on securing the railcars in the next week.
The maintenance of the cars, which stretches from Temple Avenue down to the 71 Freeway, were publicly called into question by city leaders this week after a homeless man locked a woman in an abandoned rail car that they had both been using for shelter, leaving her trapped without food or water for four days until officers freed her Sunday, March 10.
But officials said they had been trying to bring their concerns to Union Pacific since November.
Police Chief Michael Olivieri said Friday he previously provided city officials with drone footage of the tracks. He hasn't been in direct contact with Union Pacific, Olivieri said, adding the railcars are a drain on the city's resources and an eyesore.
Pomona, he said, has a process where residents can report graffiti so that it can be removed, but because the cars are on federal property, the city can't touch it.
While he said he was pleased to hear Union Pacific would be taking some action, he called the response a Band-Aid because individuals can still break into them.
"I'm hopeful this is the first step and something can be worked out," Olivieri said.
Editor's Note: this story has been updated to include a response from Union Pacific.
Source: Liset Márquez