Safety
February 20, 2026
Chicago Railroaders Earn Union Pacific’s Prestigious Safety Bell
Union Pacific’s Operating Department awarded the Chicago Service Unit its esteemed 2025 Safety Bell after the team delivered a record setting safety performance. The achievement is part of a milestone year for the railroad, which achieved its best-ever full-year safety performance and positioned Union Pacific to end 2025 as the industry leader in employee safety.
“Our performance means more people are going home safe at the end of each day,” said Eric Gehringer, executive vice president-Operations. “This level of professionalism is a testament to the power of teamwork and the choices our team makes each day to prioritize safety.”
The Safety Bell is awarded annually to the company’s Transportation service unit with the best overall safety record, considering both personal injury and derailment rates.
“Chicago’s achievement reflects a culture that empowers employees to shape the solution,” said Rod Doerr, chief safety officer. “Safety isn’t a program – it’s a promise we make to each other.”
Union Pacific’s record-setting safety performance included a best-ever personal injury rate that improved 24% from 2024. The railroad also posted its lowest-ever derailment rate, improving 19% over its prior record year.
Chicago’s Transportation craft professionals helped lay this strong foundation, achieving 380 consecutive injury‑free days – surpassing the previous record for any service unit in the past 10 years and establishing a new company benchmark. The team also maintained the lowest derailment rate of Union Pacific’s 13 service units.
“This team set out to deliver world‑class safety, and that’s exactly what they did,” said Cerwin Fleming, general manager-Transportation, Chicago Service Unit. “They took ownership of the process, trusted one another and refused to accept anything less than the highest standard. That’s a winning strategy.”
Fleming said consistent communication around risk mitigation, seasonal operating plans and start‑of‑shift briefings helped the team maintain clarity and focus.
“This honor belongs to each member of our team, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we accomplished together,” Fleming said. “We plan to keep the momentum going by keeping safety at the foundation of everything we do. When we share the same values, performance follows.”
Chicago’s craft professionals plan to maintain their momentum:
- Locomotive Engineer Willie Oscar said the recognition reflects the team’s people‑first mindset, culture and attention to detail: “Safety is a choice. This isn’t a one‑person award; we all achieved this goal.”
- Locomotive Engineer Kim Blessen: “We’re proud of the accomplishment. Let’s keep up the greatness.”
- Locomotive Engineer Kevin Schnell: “Working safely for ourselves and our co‑workers is always front and center. We look out for one another.”
The Safety Bell will travel throughout the Chicago Service Unit, making stops in Adams, Altoona and Butler, Wisconsin; as well as Dolton, Joliet, Proviso, Rochelle, South Pekin and West Chicago, Illinois.
Union Pacific’s extensive Chicago footprint includes four intermodal facilities, five freight terminals and nearly 1,300 miles of track. Together, these facilities handle one-third of Union Pacific’s carloads and serve more than 150 customers.