This information is preliminary and subject to change.
Release Date 12 January 2026
On December 3, 2025, about 9:55 a.m., a Union Pacific Railroad (UP) brakeman on UP train LOB35R-03 was fatally injured when the lead railcar he was riding collided with a tractor-trailer as it entered a public highway-railroad grade crossing at E. Francis Street in Ontario, California.[1] The conductor who was also riding the lead railcar was transported to the hospital, treated, and subsequently released. UP estimated damages to equipment to be $1,000. Visibility conditions at the time of the accident were clear and sunny, with no precipitation; the temperature was 55°F.
UP train LOB35R-03 consisted of two locomotives and seven rail cars (six loaded and one empty). The crew consisted of one conductor and one brakeman who were positioned on the lead railcar of the train. A manager of train operations was riding in the lead locomotive.
At the time of the accident, the crew was performing a shoving movement (reverse move) northbound across the E. Francis Street highway-railroad grade crossing. The conductor and brakeman were riding on the platform of the lead railcar as it was shoving with the conductor operating the locomotive with a remote-control transmitter.[2]
The train was approaching the crossing traveling about 9.9 mph when at the same time the driver of a tractor-trailer moved his vehicle westbound on E. Francis Street and entered the crossing while the crossing’s flashing warning lights were activated. At 9:55:25, the conductor activated the emergency-braking function using the handheld train’s remote‑control transmitter, initiating the train’s emergency braking system, however the train was unable to stop before it struck the rear of the tractor-trailer. At impact, the train was traveling about 7.5 mph, and the tractor trailer was traveling about 19 mph. The near end of the train’s lead railcar struck the rear of the driver’s side tractor-trailer.
The investigation is ongoing. Future investigative activity will focus on industry hazard identification and mitigation strategies, training, and operating procedures related to riding shoving movements. Particular attention will be given to operating practices surrounding shoving movements through highway-railroad grade crossings equipped only with flashing lights or passive warning devices. Future investigative activity will also focus on the commercial vehicle involved, as well as the operational practices of the motor carrier company. The NTSB will continue its efforts to address safety concerns related to trainmen fatalities during shoving movements, as highlighted in its recently published Safety Alert.[3]
Parties to the investigation include:
- the Federal Railroad Administration;
- the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration;
- the California Public Utilities Commission;
- the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers;
- the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; and
- Union Pacific Railroad
[1] (a) All times in this report are local time. (b) BG Trucking owned the tractor-trailer. (c) The Francis
Street crossing, identified as DOT No. 906520P, is a two-lane roadway with a posted speed limit of 45
mph. The highway-railroad grade crossing warning system (HGCS) consisted of flashing light signals
only, without gates. The warning system provided a 27‑second warning time, measured from the
moment the lights activated as the train entered the HGCS approach circuit, and continuing until the
train reached the crossing island circuit near the edge of the roadway. The flashing lights remained
active until the train was clear of the crossing detection circuits.
[2] A remote-control locomotive is a locomotive that uses a radio link operated by a person not
physically within the confines of the locomotive cab as defined in Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations
229.5.
[3] Safety Alert SA-103 Shoving Movements: Avoid the Risks
