The combination of an improperly lined dual-controlled, power-operated switch that a conductor did not know how to operate properly and failed to verify its position as required likely led to an April 2024 CSX Transportation head-on train collision near Folkston, Georgia.
On April 15, 2024, at 1:20 p.m. local time, northbound CSX Transportation intermodal train I03215 traversed a misaligned switch. It collided head-on with stationary, loaded rock train L74314 while traveling about 28 mph on CSX’s Jesup Subdivision near Folkston.
Two crew members of train I03215 and one crew member of train L74314 were hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries. The wreck caused $720,000 in damages.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, CSX Transportation’s insufficient training and failure to implement operational procedures, such as a restricted speed requirement and secondary verification of switch position, to mitigate the risk of misaligned switch accidents during a signal suspension contributed to the wreck.
On April 18, 2024, CSX published a safety alert that discussed operating requirements for dual-controlled, power-operated switches. The railroad also published a signal suspension safety bulletin discussing signal suspension job briefing protocols, field management audits, and testing.
Before the collision, the track signals near the accident location were suspended for maintenance and upgrades, and movement through the area was being controlled as track warrant territory.
During the signal suspension, CSX assigned a conductor with three years of experience manually throwing switches for train movements between tracks. The conductor was responsible for a total of four dual-controlled, power-operated switches, which can be operated either through the signal system or by hand.
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