NTSB – Page 9 – Railfanning.org

Metrolink Spokeswoman Resigns Following Comments

September 16, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

LOS ANGELES — Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell has resigned following comments she made to reporters in the wake of a fatal wreck. 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

Conductor May be Key to Metrolink Investigation

September 15, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHATSWORTH, Calif. — Investigators probing a fatal Metrolink crash 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. “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

Metrolink Engineer May Have Been Texting

September 14, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHATSWORTH, Calif. — Investigators probing a fatal Metrolink crash are looking into whether the train’s engineer sent a text message just before his train crashed into a parked Union Pacific freight train, according to various media reports. “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

Death Toll Reaches 25 in Deadly California Train Crash, Human Error Suspected

September 14, 2008 Voice of America

Officials of the California commuter rail system Metrolink say Friday’s deadly train crash outside Los Angeles, which killed 25 people and injured 135, was caused by an engineer who failed to stop at a signal.

At least 17 Dead, up to 135 Injured in Los Angeles Train Collision

September 13, 2008 Voice of America

At least 17 people were killed, and as many as 135 people were injured when a crowded commuter train collided with a freight train outside Los Angeles Friday.

Deaths Reported Following Metrolink Crash

September 12, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

LOS ANGELES – At least a half-dozen people died following an accident involving a Metrolink passenger train and freight train. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of investigators to Chatsworth, California to investigate the fatal crash.

FRA Joins Norfolk Southern in Research of Battery Powered Electric Locomotives

September 12, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is awarding a $50,000 grant to Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) to support the railroad’s effort to design a prototype battery powered electric locomotive which can reduce emissions and lower fuel costs. The grant funds will be used to design the lead-acid battery packaging system and perform Failure Modes and Effects Analysis to address potential safety risks associated with the high voltages and electric current arising from large numbers of batteries cabled together. The technology is being developed for locomotives used in rail yard switching operations. In addition, NS is providing $65,000 toward this

Heavy Traffic, Complex Rail Crossing Played Role in 2005 Collision

June 10, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

ELMWOOD PARK, Ill. — The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of an accident that occurred at a highway-railroad grade crossing in Elmwood Park, Ill., was a combination of factors including the intersection angle, the heavy holiday traffic and the complex street and rail pattern and related signal interactions at the intersection. “Despite the efforts of state and local authorities to address the safety concerns at this large and complicated grade crossing with a variety of signage and technology improvements, this accident occurred because these changes still failed to prevent vehicles from being trapped inside the crossing

Senate Committee Reschedules NTSB Hearing

June 4, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces that the Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee NTSB Reauthorization Hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. June 5 has been postponed. A new date and time for the hearing will be announced as soon as it is available. The hearing is expected to focus on the activities of the NTSB and its legislative reauthorization proposal. The NTSB’s current authorization expires on Sept. 30. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., will chair the hearing.

Commerce Committee Announces NTSB Reauthorization Hearing

June 1, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee will hold an NTSB reauthorization hearing. The hearing will focus on the activities of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and its legislative reauthorization proposal. The NTSB’s current authorization expires on Sept. 30. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., will chair the hearing, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. June 5.