Commuter Rail

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Commuter Rail

WMATA Train Kills Man on Tracks

August 12, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
ARLINGTON, Va. — A 45-year-old Arlington man was killed after being an Orange Line Metro train at the West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail station. At 11:18 a.m. Aug. 12, the six-car train headed in the direction of New Carrollton struck the resident, who “was on the tracks intentionally” as the train pulled into the station., Metro said.
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Commuter Rail

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
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Commuter Rail

Washington Metro Conducting Comprehensive Review of Employee Disciplinary Actions

July 29, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Washington Metro is conducting a comprehensive review of its disciplinary procedures for employees and plans to stiffen penalties in the coming weeks to ensure that employees follow Metro rules and standard operating procedures. “Metro has more than 10,000 employees, and the vast majority of them do their job well,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe. “Bad behavior on the part of just a few individuals reflects on the entire Metro workforce. Our new approach to procedures and penalties will deter bad behavior and reduce the damage a few people can cause to our relationship with riders.” On Monday,
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Commuter Rail

NTSB Updates WMATA Investigation

July 29, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
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: — To date, significant work has been done to determine why the presence of train 214 was not identified on the train control circuit that allowed train 112 to crash into it. The NTSB’s accident investigation is continuing, and more work is needed to fully understand why the train control system did not perform as designed. — Most
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Commuter Rail

Freight Railroads Join Midwest Governors in Planning for High-Speed Rail

July 28, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Association of American Railroads President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger said the national rail network is critical to meeting the mobility needs of the 21 century. Speaking before the Midwest High-Speed Rail Summit in Chicago, Hamberger said striking the right balance between passenger and freight rail expansion is key to the success of high-speed rail in America. “America’s freight railroads support the goal of increased passenger rail investment,” Hamberger said. “It’s good for our economy and the environment when more people and goods move faster by rail.” He pointed out that the country’s privately owned freight rail network
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Commuter Rail

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
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Commuter Rail

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
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Commuter Rail

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
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Commuter Rail

NTSB Investigating San Francisco Municipal Wreck

July 19, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
SAN FRANCISCO — The The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a light rail crash that injured more than 40 people. At 2:57 p.m. PDT on Saturday, July 18, 2009, a San Francisco Municipal light rail vehicle struck the rear of another light rail vehicle at the West Portal Station. “Given the recent transit system accidents around the country, we are especially concerned with what has happened here,” said NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. “We are determined to find the cause of this and the other transit accidents so that the issues that our investigations turn up can be