On Sept. 12, the day of the crash that killed 25 people and injured 130 more, the Metrolink engineer was on duty twice during the day. First, he was responsible for the operation of a train from 6:44 am until 8:53 a.m., and during that time, the engineer’s cell phone received 21 text messages and sent 24 text messages.

The engineer was off duty until 2 p.m.

Later on Sept. 12, the engineer was responsible for the operation of Metrolink train 111 from 3:03 p.m. until 4:22:23, the time of the crash. During that time, the engineer’s cell phone received seven text messages and sent 5 text messages.

According to the time on the cell phone provider’s records, the last text message received by the engineer’s phone before the accident was at 4:21:03 p.m., and the last text message sent from the engineer’s cell phone was 4:22:01 p.m., according to the NTSB.

The NTSB’s Recorder Laboratory is continuing to correlate times recorded for use of the Metrolink engineer’s cell phone, train recorder data and signal system data to a common time base.

“I am pleased with the progress of this major investigation to date,” Acting NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said. “We are continuing to pursue many avenues of inquiry to find what caused this accident and what can be done to prevent such a tragedy in the future.”

Authorities believe the engineer failed to stop at a signal and crashed into the Union Pacific freight train. The NTSB received the cell phone records after subpoenaing the cell phone provider.

In the wake of the crash, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to temporarily prohibit the personal use of “commercial mobile radio services and devices” by on-duty railroad engineers, brakemen, conductors or rail transit vehicle operators.

Some officials have said Positive Train Control, which would force a train to stop automatically when signals are ignored by the engineer, might have prevented the fatal crash. The House of Representatives last year passed the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007.

The bill would require trains to be equipped with Positive Train Control (PTC), a collision avoidance system. PTC has been at the top of the National Transportation Safety Board’s priority list for nearly two decades.

– Railfanning.org News Wire

The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 will increase funding for Amtrak over the next five years, require new safety controls on trains that help reduce crashes, allow states to regulate solid waste processing facilities along rail lines and allocate funding for improvements to Washington’s Metro transit system.

The legislation sets “an aggressive deadline” of 2015 for implementation of positive train control (PTC) across most of the rail network, Edward R. Hamberger, President and CEO of the Association of American Railroads said in a statement. Hamberger promised that “the freight railroad industry is committed to doing everything it can to ensure that PTC is implemented effectively and safely,” but admitted it would be a challenge.

“Nothing is more important to the railroad industry than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve,” Hamberger added. “Although 2007 was the industry’s safest year in history, we recognize that there is always room for improvement. Provisions of the new safety legislation will help facilitate even more improvements in safety.”

The rail legislation includes the Amtrak reauthorization bill which was developed from similar bills passed by the Senate last year (70-22) and passed by the House earlier this year (311-94). The bill:

– Authorizes $13.06 billion over five years for passenger rail— more than $2.6 billion annually for Amtrak, intercity passenger rail, and high speed rail programs, which is almost double what the U.S. is currently spending

– Requires reforms at Amtrak, including a new Board of Directors, improved accounting and financial planning, and new standards for service reliability and on-time performance.

– Requires a collaborative plan for bringing the Northeast Corridor to a state-of-good-repair by 2018

– Authorizes the Surface Transportation Board to fine freight railroads for delaying Amtrak trains.

– Requires Amtrak stations to comply with disability accessibility standards and authorize funding for such improvements.

The legislation also includes the Railroad safety improvement bill which was developed from similar bills passed unanimously by the Senate and by the House (377-38). The bill:

– Mandates positive train control (PTC) technology on passenger and certain hazmat rail main lines by 2015 and authorize $250 million in Federal grants for PTC installation.

– Guarantees a 12-hour work period and minimum 10-hour disruption-free rest period for train crews and signal employees.

– Limit the amount of time a rail worker may be in “limbo time.”

– Requires a Federal study and regulation on use of cell phones and other device distractions in locomotive cabs.

– Requires risk-based safety programs for all major railroads to prevent deaths and injuries.

– Creates a National Transportation Safety Board office to assist families of passengers following rail disasters.

Also, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) reauthorization bill, included in this bloated piece of legislation, authorizes $1.5 billion over 10 years for rehabilitation and improvements to Washington D.C.’s rail transit system.

“We are grateful to our entire Congressional delegation and others in Congress who understand the importance of protecting the substantial investment the federal government and the National Capital region have made in the Metro system,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe following passage of the bill. “Metro is an asset designed to serve the federal workforce and the National Capital Region.

“A safe, secure, and reliable Metro system is also a critical component for ensuring the continuity of federal operations during an emergency,” Catoe added.

Also included is the Clean Railroads Act of 2008 which allows states to clean up solid waste processing facilities on rail sites, which have avoided regulation through a loophole in Federal law and applies state standards for air pollution, water pollution and fire safety to transfer facilities handling and storing solid waste in open dumps.

“Today is a transformative and historic moment in our Nation’s transportation system, because we passed legislation improving intercity passenger rail service and enhancing a transportation solution that is affordable, accessible, and environmentally sustainable,” said Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-Minn. “… This legislation greatly increases safety standards for the rail industry, which is good news for rail workers and the general public.”

The bill now goes to the Senate.

The California Public Utilities Commission voted to temporarily prohibit the personal use of “commercial mobile radio services and devices” by on-duty railroad engineers, brakemen, conductors or rail transit vehicle operators. Personal communications “that take place when the train or transit vehicle is stopped and with the approval of the appropriate management personnel” is allowed, however.

The CPUC determined that this action was needed due to a June 14, 2008, MUNI accident that may have resulted from the inappropriate personal use of a cell phone while operating the train, as well as the recent Metrolink accident in Chatsworth, Calif., which may have been at least partially caused by the inappropriate personal use of a cell phone by the train’s engineer.

The move comes a week after a fatal Metrolink crash that killed 25 people in injured 135 more. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the engineer of the Metrolink commuter train that crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train sent and received text messages prior to the crash.

“Because of the possible danger to passengers, the general public, and the railroad workers themselves, prohibiting the personal use of cellular devices is necessary and reasonable,” said CPUC President Michael R. Peevey. He added that there are no existing federal or state laws, rules or regulations prohibiting such inappropriate use of cellular devices.

The CPUC’s Consumer Protection and Safety Division will prepare a proceeding to determine whether this ban on cellular devices, or other measures, should be adopted on a permanent basis.

In 2003, the NTSB recommended the Federal Railroad Administration limit the use of cell phones and other personal wireless devices by railroad operators while on duty.

The ruling was handed down following a May 28, 2002, derailment in which the engineer of a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) coal train was distracted by a cell phone call when he was supposed to be stopping his train and caused a head-on collision with a BNSF intermodal train. The engineer of the intermodal train was killed in the collision. Damages to the trains and track exceeded $8 million.

“Safety is the primary responsibility of any vehicle operator and this responsibility demands the full and undivided attention of the person at the controls,” then Chairman Ellen Engleman said at the time. “Issuing these recommendations is not enough — implementation is the key.”

– Railfanning.org News Wire

“NTSB investigators asked for records of the Metrolink engineer’s cell phone calls and text messages from the service provider,” the agency said in a statement. “The Board today received some of those records, which indicate that the engineer had sent and received text messages on the day of the accident, including some while he was on duty.”

The Metrolink commuter train and the Union Pacific freight train collided on on Sept. 12 near Chatsworth, Calif., killing 25 people and injuring more than 130 more.

“The Safety Board will correlate those records with other investigative information to determine as precisely as possible the exact times of those messages in relation to the engineer’s operation of his train,” the agency said. “The Board will provide further information on the progress of its investigation as it becomes available.”

Shortly after the wreck, Metrolink officials said the engineer was to blame, but the NTSB said it was still investigating. Some politicians have said that if the train had been equipped with Positive Train Control, the wreck might have been avoided.

The Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2095), a bill the House of Representatives passed last year, would require trains to be equipped with Positive Train Control, a collision avoidance system.

According to some news reports, the engineer did not hit the brakes before the collision.

– Railfanning.org News Wire

In the wreck, a Metrolink commuter train collided with a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles, killing 25 people and injuring 135 others.

The Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2095), a bill the House of Representatives passed last year, would require trains to be equipped with Positive Train Control (PTC), a collision avoidance system. PTC has been at the top of the National Transportation Safety Board’s priority list for nearly two decades.

“Our legislation requiring PTC would substantially reduce the number of serious train accidents, because it provides safety redundancy to protect against human performance failures,” said Oberstar. “However, the unwillingness of rail companies to make the needed investments in safety, have prevented this technology from being fully implemented.”

The system uses global positioning satellites, train systems and signals, and computer programs, among other means, to prevent human errors in train operations. With a PTC system, a train would stop automatically when signals are ignored by the engineer.

“My Committee has held many hearings on railroad safety, fatigue, and human factor accidents and has heard testimony from all the stakeholders and policymakers in the passenger and freight rail industry,” Oberstar said. “Expanding capacity on the rail network is an important goal, but increasing safety is even more crucial.

“Safety is always my number one priority, regardless of the mode of transportation, and this legislation is a critical step forward in increasing safety standards for the rail industry,” Oberstar added. “I urge my colleagues in Congress to pass a rail safety bill that mandates implementation of PTC prior to the adjournment of the 110th Congress. Increasing safety on America’s railroads is simply too important to ignore any longer.”

A Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train collided on on Sept. 12 near Chatsworth, Calif., killing 25 people and injuring more than 130 more.

Tyrrell and Metrolink quickly blamed human error for the crash, but the National Transportation Safety Board says it is still investigating.

“Her teary comments and surprising candor elicited a flood of encouragement from Metrolink staff members and commuters from as far as London and Vietnam,” The Los Angeles Times reported. “By Monday, Tyrrell had resigned her $86,000-a-year post amid intense criticism from Metrolink officials and federal investigators who called her public comments premature and inappropriate.”

Meanwhile, investigators probing the crash have said they want to interview the train’s conductor and also hope that recordings of verbal safety checks will help paint a fuller picture of what happened in the moments leading up to the crash.

The wreck is said to be the nation’s worst rail disaster in 15 years.

Officials indicated the train — operated by Veolia Transportation — did not stop at a red light and crashed into the freight train. Investigators say the train’s data recorders retrieved from the crash site should yield important information. Investigators are also looking into whether the engineer sent a text message shortly before the wreck.

– Railfanning.org News Wire

“He’ll be able to tell us whether he recalls the engineer calling out and him confirming those signals,” The Associated Press quoted Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board as saying about the conductor.

Metrolink has already blamed human error for the Sept. 12 crash that killed 25 people and injured 130 more. However, the National Transportation Safety Board says it is still investigating.

The wreck is said to be the nation’s worst rail disaster in 15 years.

Officials indicated the train — operated by Veolia Transportation — did not stop at a red light and crashed into the freight train. A Metrolink dispatcher may have tried to warn the engineer about the looming crash, but it was apparently too late.

Investigators say the train’s data recorders retrieved from the crash site should yield important information. Investigators are also looking into whether the engineer sent a text message shortly before the wreck.

– Railfanning.org News Wire

“That would be to me unbelievable,” KTLA quoted Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell as saying. “I cannot imagine a scenario where a Metrolink engineer would be texting someone while driving a train.”

Metrolink has already blamed human error for the crash that killed 25 people and injured 130 more. However, the National Transportation Safety Board says it is still investigating.

The wreck is said to be the nation’s worst rail disaster in 15 years.

Officials indicated the train — operated by Veolia Transportation — did not stop at a red light and crashed into the freight train. A Metrolink dispatcher may have tried to warn the engineer about the looming crash, but it was apparently too late.

Investigators say the train’s data recorders retrieved from the crash site should yield important information.

“We will learn a lot from the data recorders from both trains,” said Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board. “We will hopefully be able to interview the crewmembers, other witnesses. That will all contribute to our fuller knowledge of exactly why this happened.”

Meanwhile, Amtrak said there will no service by Amtrak Pacific Surfliners and their connecting Thruway Motorcoach buses on Sept. 14, between San Luis Obispo/Goleta and south to Los Angeles, pending restoration of the route. No alternate transportation is available.

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and their connecting Thruway Motorcoaches between Los Angeles and San Diego will operate normally.

Also, Amtrak’s Coast Starlight will originate and terminate in Santa Barbara on September 14, with alternate transportation provided between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

– Railfanning.org News Wire

The website of the Metrolink commuter rail system says human error or a signal failure on the part of Metrolink may have played a role in the crash of the commuter train with a freight train operated by the Union Pacific Corporation. A Metrolink spokeswoman was more direct. She said Saturday that a preliminary investigation showed an engineer employed by a Metrolink subcontractor, Veolia Transportation, failed to stop at a red signal.

Workers continued to search for victims in the wreckage, but said the chance of finding more survivors was remote. Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board called the crash one of the worst train accidents her agency has seen. She said data recorders retrieved from the crash site should yield important information.

“We will learn a lot from the data recorders from both trains. We will hopefully be able to interview the crewmembers, other witnesses. That will all contribute to our fuller knowledge of exactly why this happened.”

The Metrolink train was crowded with more than 200 commuters when the trains collided head-on on a section of single track late Friday afternoon. The crash forced the engine of the commuter train back into the first passenger car, and both toppled on their side. Two other passenger cars remained upright.

As the death toll mounted, Los Angeles Deputy Fire Chief Mario Rueda said the round-the-clock effort is taking a toll on emergency workers.

“As you can imagine with the wreckage, it’s been very, very difficult for fire fighters and police officers. They’ve just done a great job. I’m very proud of them.”

The first victim to be publicly identified was a female police officer who was riding the train home.

– Mike O’Sullivan, Voice of America

The rush-hour train was packed with as many as 350 commuters, and was heading northwest from Los Angeles about 4:30 p.m. when it collided with a freight train in the suburb of Chatsworth.

One passenger car lay on its side with the train’s engine pushed back inside it. Two other cars remained upright. The freight train’s engine was also turned on its side.

Fire Chief Doug Barry said firefighters extinguished a fire in the wreckage.

“At the time that we arrived on scene, there was a fire problem, there was a hazardous materials problem with spilled fuel,” he said. “We also weren’t certain what was on the freight train, as well as an extrication problem, and obviously a medical problem.”

He said firefighters contained the fuel spill, and were working to extricate the passengers who remained trapped in the wreckage.

Medical workers and surgeons provided treatment in triage areas set up near the site and helicopters flew the most seriously injured to hospital.

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said it would take some time to assess the extent of the injuries.

“We know that dozens of people have been injured, probably over 100, but we don’t have the specifics on the nature of those injuries,” he explained.

Authorities say some injuries were minor, but at least 10 people were injured critically.

– Mike O’Sullivan, Voice of America