NTSB – Page 6 – Railfanning.org

Hart Designated Vice Chairman of NTSB

August 20, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has designated National Transportation Safety Board Member Christopher A. Hart as the agency’s Vice Chairman. Hart was sworn in as a Member of the NTSB on August 12 to a term that ends December 31, 2012. His term as Vice Chairman will run for two years. Vice Chairman Hart comes to the Board after a long career in transportation safety, including a previous term as a Member of the NTSB during the 1990s. He most recently was Deputy Director for Air Traffic Safety Oversight at the Federal Aviation Administration. He is an aerospace engineer, attorney,

NTSB Releases Wreck Site Back to WMATA

July 31, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board released the site of the Ft. Totten accident back to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The site, located on the Red Line between Ft. Totten and Takoma stations in Washington, D.C., was the scene of the fatal collision of two WMATA trains on June 22, 2009. The NTSB’s Signal and Train Control Group has completed its examination and testing of train control equipment at the scene of the accident. Therefore, the accident site, including the track, has been released back to WMATA. As part of the ongoing investigation, the NTSB is

Hersman Takes Helm at NTSB

July 28, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Deborah A.P. Hersman, who has been a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board for 5 years, was sworn in as the agency’s 12th Chairman. Hersman was nominated for the two-year term as Chairman by President Barack Obama on June 18 and confirmed by the United States Senate on July 24. She was also nominated and confirmed for a second five-year term as Board Member, which runs through December 31, 2013. “The NTSB is an outstanding organization that commands respect across the globe for its comprehensive investigations of transportation accidents,” Hersman said. “I am grateful to have this

NTSB: WMATA Track Tircuit’s Train Occupancy Signal Fluctuating Since 2007

July 23, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board continues to make progress in its investigation of the June 22, 2009, collision of two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) trains on the Red Line in Washington, D.C. The Board has developed the following factual information: Two signal companies, Ansaldo STS USA (US&S) and Alstom Signaling Inc. (GRS), that designed and manufactured the automatic train control components for the WMATA system, are providing technical assistance to the NTSB investigation. As previously reported, an impedance bond (No. 15) for the track circuit where the accident occurred was replaced on June 17, five days

NTSB: Driver Blacked Out in San Fran Wreck; Cell Phone Not an Issue

July 22, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

SAN FRANCISCO — In its continuing investigation of the collision between two San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) light rail trains on Saturday, injuring more than 40 people, NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has announced the following factual information: At about 2:50 p.m. PDT on Saturday, July 18, 2009, an L Line train struck the rear of a K Line train at the West Portal Station in San Francisco. Data captured by recorders in the train control center indicated that the L Line train was switched from automatic to manual mode while stopped in the tunnel at the same

Rosenker Departs From NTSB

July 21, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — After leading the National Transportation Safety Board for four and a half years, Mark V. Rosenker has announced that he will resign his position as Acting Chairman and Member. He submitted his letter of resignation to President Obama July 21. Rosenker said he will delay his departure until a new chairman and an additional Board Member are confirmed to ensure a quorum remains at the Board. In his letter to the President, Rosenker said that the opportunity to serve in and lead the NTSB “has been the highlight of my entire 40-year professional life. It is an agency

WMATA: Expect Fewer Trains, Slower Service to Continue on Red Line

July 19, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Metro Red Line riders should expect fewer and slower-moving rush hour trains on the line at least through Thursday morning’s rush hour (July 23) while the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its investigation into the cause of the June 22 train accident near the Fort Totten Metrorail station.At this point, it is unclear what the NTSB’s needs may be after Thursday morning’s rush hour and the impact on Metrorail service. In the meantime, passengers can expect that their trips may take an additional 30 minutes or possibly more to complete, and they should build that added time into

NTSB Member Testifies About Multi-Faceted Investigation

July 15, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — National Transportation Safety Board Member Debbie Hersman, testifying before Congress, described a multi-faceted National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the deadliest accident in the history of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). A collision between two trains on June 22 killed 9 people and injured scores of others. At a hearing before the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Hersman noted that within hours of hearing about the collision, the Safety Board dispatched a team of investigators from its headquarters in Washington and from regional offices

NTSB: Fatigue Played Role in 2008 MBTA Trolley Wreck

July 14, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the two-train collision on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line last year occurred as a result of the trolley operator’s failure to obey a signal indication likely because she became disengaged from her environment consistent with experiencing an episode of micro-sleep. The lack of a positive train control system, which would have intervened to stop the train and prevented the collision, was cited as a contributing factor. At 5:51 PM EDT, on May 28, 2008, an MBTA Green Line train, traveling westbound at about 38 mph, struck the rear

NTSB Investigating DM&E Wreck

July 14, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

BETTENDORF, Iowa — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a railroad accident that occurred in Iowa this morning (July 14). At 2:10 AM CDT, in Bettendorf, Iowa, a Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad freight train struck a group of cars in a rail yard after crossing through a switch that was not lined for the main line, derailing 8 cars and 2 locomotives. Two crewmembers were fatally injured.