GALVA, Kan.– The National Transportation Safety Board says that the accident involving two Union Pacific freight trains in McPherson County in September of last year, was caused by poor placement of 
control signals just west of where the two trains collided at a siding near Galva.
The NTSB report released last week says the green LED signal masked the red signal aspect at the east end of the Galva siding, resulting in the crew of eastbound train passing the red stop signal and colliding with the westbound train. The report also says that Union Pacific failed to conduct a risk assessment of the new control point installation at the siding which was also a factor in the accident..
The accident happened around 5:44 a.m. when the westbound train was entering a siding, but it had not cleared the main track and was struck by the eastbound train. Five multi-platform intermodal cars derailed from the westbound train. Two locomotive units and four multi-platform intermodal cars derailed from the eastbound train.
UP estimated about 200 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from the fuel tank of one of the derailed locomotives. No crewmembers on either train were seriously injured. No fire resulted from the collision.