Commuter Rail – Page 56 – Railfanning.org

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

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 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

WMATA: Takoma Station Reopens After NTSB Testing

July 19, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Takoma Metrorail station on the Red Line reopened just July 18 after an all day closure due to the ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into last month’s train crash near the station. The station will be open today (July 19). Red Line riders should expect slower-moving trains on the line as the investigation into the cause of the June 22 collision continues. 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. Trains must continue to

FRA Issues NPRM on Technology to Prevent Train Collisions

July 16, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo announced proposed rules designed to prevent train collisions through the use of Positive Train Control. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) prescribes how railroads must use Positive Train Control systems to prevent train-to-train collisions. PTC technology is capable of automatically controlling train speeds and movements should a locomotive engineer fail to take appropriate action. For example, such technology can force a train to stop before it passes a red signal, thereby averting a potential collision. Other benefits of PTC systems include prevention of over-speed derailments and misaligned switches,

FRA Receives 278 Pre-Applications for High-Speed Passenger Rail Funding

July 16, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has received 278 pre-applications for grant funding totaling $102 billion. The money will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) — the “bailout” — for the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail competitive grant program. “The response has been tremendous and shows that the country is ready for high-speed rail,” Secretary LaHood said. “It’s time to look beyond our highways and invest in public transportation services like rail, which will enhance regional mobility and reduce our carbon footprint.” Pre-applications by region: Northeast Total Number of Pre-applications

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 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

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