DRUG-USE POLICIES EYED AFTER RAIL CRASH

The light-rail crash at Baltimore Washington International Airport Tuesday
has prompted rail and union officials to revisit drug-use policies for rail
operators.

Early test results indicate illegal drugs were not in operator Dentis
Thomas' system Tuesday morning, when the four-car train crashed into the
international pier of the airport.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators are searching for the
cause of the crash, whether it is a mechanical failure or a human mistake.

Mr. Thomas, 48, was among 22 persons who were slightly injured. He later
told investigators he "blacked out" about a quarter-mile from the pier. He
had returned to work Monday after medical leave for back problems, for
which he was taking a muscle relaxer and blood-pressure medication.

Two Breathalyzers and a urination test found no illegal drugs in Mr.
Thomas, but investigators still await a blood test analysis.

Personnel records indicate Mr. Thomas, a 26-year employee, has been
consistently clean of illegal drugs, according to Mass Transit
Administration Administrator Ron Freeland.

Mr. Freeland's statement came after the (Baltimore) Sun reported that Mr.
Thomas was fired after testing positive for cocaine in 1994. Amalgamated
Transit Union Local 1300 intervened and got his job restored, and he
completed a drug rehabilitation program in 1997, according to the article.
Mr. Freeland would not comment specifically on the newspaper report, his
office said yesterday.

Amalgamated President Ennis Fonder Jr. said Thursday he could not comment
on whether Mr. Thomas was fired for cocaine use in 1994 because that was
before he became union president two years ago.

Mr. Thomas has been involved in three other light-rail accidents in the
past 13 months. He was cleared of blame in two of the incidents and was
suspended for three days after the third accident, a derailing that
occurred July 7, 1999, with no passengers aboard.

MTA has removed him from service until the investigation is complete.

Meanwhile, the final stop at international pier is closed, and light-rail
passengers are riding shuttle buses from the next-nearest stops to the
terminal.

The possible use of drugs is being investigated because the operator of a
light-rail train in a similar crash Feb. 13 was found to have cocaine in
his system. Sam Epps Jr. is awaiting trial in Maryland's Anne Arundel
Circuit Court in October on reckless endangerment charges.

After the February crash, MTA proposed stricter illegal substances
policies, including a policy to fire operators or "safety sensitive"
employees who test positive for illegal drugs. Amalgamated has had the
proposed changes nearly five months without agreeing to them.

The current policy calls for a 15-day suspension and requires the employee
to go through a drug-rehabilitation program. It also gives first-time
offenders a second chance. There would be no second chance under the new
policy for the "safety sensitive" employees.

"We believe a person should have a second chance," Mr. Fonder said yesterday.

The current MTA policy for operators who test positive for drugs on a
second occasion calls for discharge from their jobs. But, MTA reports, four
second-time offenders got their jobs back through union arbitration.

The proposed MTA policy is similar to Metro's policy and federal policies
affecting railroad operators. The federal policy is set by the Federal
Railroad Administration and applies to companies such as Amtrak, instead of
light-rail operations.

"Safety sensitive" railroad employees undergo random testing, sometimes as
they arrive for work. First-time offenders are automatically and
immediately suspended. They must enter treatment programs and show
correction before they can go back to the job.

First-time offenders are placed on two-years' probation and closely
monitored when they return to their jobs. They also must submit to periodic
clinic testing, said Cliff Black, spokesman for Amtrak.

Metro "safety sensitive" employees who test positive are immediately
suspended and must enter a rehabilitation program. They are monitored and
randomly tested for five years before they can resume their jobs, said
Metro spokeswoman Cheryl Johnson.

Few "safety sensitive" railroad employees test positive for drug use after
accidents. Federal Railroad Administration statistics show only 10
engineers tested positive after more than 12,000 incidents since 1995.