Commuter Rail – Page 56 – Railfanning.org

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 in Illinois and California. Although the investigation continues, Safety Board

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 of another westbound Green Line train, which had stopped for

NTSB Issues ‘Urgent Safety Recommendation’ to Washington Metro

July 13, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board issued an “urgent safety recommendation” to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) calling for enhanced safety redundancy of its train control system. “A recent accident on the Metrorail’s Red Line between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations has shown that WMATA’s train control system is susceptible to a single point failure because it did not fail safe and stop a train when detection of a preceding train was lost,” they NTSB said in a statement. “The urgent safety recommendation issued today calls for WMATA to evaluate track occupancy data on a real-time basis in order to detect losses in track occupancy and

Washington Metro: No Texting for Operators

July 9, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Following a string of embarrassments, including a YouTube video that showed a subway operator texting, Washington Metro has adopted a zero tolerance policy on operator use of cell phones, texting devices. Metrobus and Metrorail operators caught using a cell phone, texting or using a PDA while operating a vehicle will be fired under the new policy announced by Metro General Manager John Catoe. The new policy will take effect on Monday, July 13. “There is no excuse for anyone who is operating a Metrobus or Metrorail train to be using a cell phone or texting other than for an emergency situation, regardless of whether there are passengers on

DART Testing Trains on Green Line

July 8, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

Image courtesy DART DALLAS — With only weeks remaining until the 2.7-mile Green Line light rail corridor opens, DART is conducting train tests and warning residents to keep an eye open for trains. The Green Line light rail corridor runs between the Pearl Station and MLK, Jr. Station near Fair Park. The tests will be conducted on an almost daily basis until the section opens September 14. The tests are designed to evaluate the operation of the new light rail track and to familiarize rail operators with the operating characteristics of the trains on the new line. At other crossings DART trains will follow traffic signals. Using $78.4 million in

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

July 8, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Riders of Metro’s Red Line should expect fewer and slower-moving rush hour trains on the line through at least July 19 while the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation into the cause of the June 22 train accident near the Fort Totten Metrorail station. Red Line riders can expect that their trips may take an additional 30 minutes or possibly more to complete and they should build that added time into their plans. Two six-car Red Line trains collided at 5 p.m. Monday, June 22, leaving four people dead, including a female train operator. In addition, there were a number of injuries reported, many serious. According to

MBTA Trolly Driver Charged for Texting on the Job

July 8, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWTON, Mass. — A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was indicted on charges he sent text messages while on the job. The driver told investigators he was sending a text message to his girlfriend on May when he ran through two signals — one yellow and one red. The Green Line trolley, traveling about 25 mph, crashed into a second trolley; 49 people were injured in the collision, according to The Boston Globe. “When people board a public conveyance, they place their lives and safety in the operator’s hands,” Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement, according to The Boston Globe. “They depend on the driver’s good

NTSB to Hold Hearing on 2008 MBTA Trolley Wreck

July 6, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public Board meeting Tuesday, July 14, to discuss a 2008 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) trolley wreck. On May 28, 2008, at about 5:51 p.m. EDT, MBTA Green Line train, traveling westbound at about 38 mph, struck the rear of another westbound Green Line train, which had stopped for a red signal. The wreck occurred in Newton, Mass., a suburb of Boston. Each train consisted of two light rail trolley cars and carried both a train operator in the lead car and a trail operator in the second car. The train operator of the striking train was killed; the other

Red Line Trains to Operate at Regular Speeds Starting Friday, July 3

July 2, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Starting at 7 a.m. Friday, July 3, Washington Metro trains will return to regular speeds on the Red Line except for those passing through the area of last week’s accident between Takoma and Fort Totten Metrorail stations. The Takoma Metrorail station will close at 10 p.m. Thursday, July 2, to allow investigators to continue their work to determine the cause of the accident. The Takoma Metrorail station will reopen with normal speeds at 7 a.m. on Friday, July 3, when the rail system will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. on the Federal Independence Day holiday. While the Takoma Metrorail station is closed on Thursday, July

NTSB Offers Update on WMATA Wreck

July 1, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — In its continuing investigation of the June 22 wreck involving the collision of two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) trains on the Red Line in Washington, D.C., the National Transportation Safety Board has developed the following factual information: — The examination of factors leading up to the accident continues. Investigators have been conducting nightly tests of the train control system at the accident site. Test progress was delayed by some water in underground access areas that made it unsafe for technicians to work on electrical cables until the water could be pumped out. The components being tested include track impedence bonds, wayside cables, and train control system