SALT LAKE CITY -- Olympic safety commanders have asked Union Pacific to stop running trains loaded with hazardous materials through Salt Lake City during the Winter Olympics, according to a wire service report.

The railroad, however, said on February 8 it would not change its schedule unless ordered by federal authorities. Olympic safety commanders wanted to stop the shipments as a precaution against terrorism or accidental spills.

Freight trains run frequently through the heart of Salt Lake City. Union Pacific operates a rail yard bordering the Olympic Plaza and near the medals plaza, where tens of thousands of Olympic spectators will gather starting Saturday night.

The trains routinely carry shipments of hazardous materials ranging from chlorine for municipal water systems to gasoline and chemical acids.

Olympic commanders asked the railroad to suspend or reroute hazardous shipments during the Olympics, Jack Ford, a spokesman for the command, said late Friday.

But Union Pacific spokesman Mike Furtney said the railroad would not curtail any shipments through Salt Lake City. He said neither the U.S. Department of Transportation nor the Federal Railroad Administration agreed that step was necessary.

Instead, the railroad has stationed more of its police officers in Salt Lake City for the games, he said.

"People need to understand that there are materials vital to functioning of the Olympics and the economy generally that has to get shipped through Salt Lake City," Furtney said. "Our economy doesn't run on water and sugar," he said.