Union Pacific outlines two‑phase cleanup after Simpson Avenue derailment; city seeks faster notification

Union Pacific senior director of public affairs Peggy Egbuhai told the Dunsmuir City Council the railroad still has three derailed cars and their lumber staged at Simpson Avenue and is working on a two‑phase cleanup plan. "The first phase is to cut up the cars and the lumber, put them in two different piles, and then come back either with a train or with some trucks to then take all of the mess," she said, adding the initial phase should not require a road closure.

Egbuhai said the second phase will likely require a road closure because heavy equipment will be used to load gondolas or trucks, and she pledged at least seven days' notice before that work begins and direct outreach to nearby residents. "I do plan to give more notice than that," she said, noting she had visited nearby homes earlier in the day to collect contact information for phone or email outreach.

Council members and residents pressed for better, faster incident notifications. One resident described a recent incident when trains were stopped for nearly two hours at a yard crossing, blocking pedestrian access and leaving people stranded. Egbuhai described existing notification tools at crossings — a unique DOT crossing number and an FRA geolocated inventory app — and said residents can call the crossing's 1‑800 emergency notification number to request status or escalate an immediate access problem.

Council also asked whether a cause for the derailment had been determined; Egbuhai said the incident remains under investigation. The council and staff emphasized mitigation for road damage and pedestrian access while cleanup continues and asked staff to track the railroad's promised notice and outreach.