Hello, J.D. Congratulations on your retirement. I’ve missed working with you, and the GAS man, and AFF, and all, I mean all the others, all these years.
I spent three hours viewing the video archive of the Nov. 14, 2017 National Transportation Safety Board meeting convened to review and approve the findings, probable cause and safety recommendations developed from NTSB investigation into the April 3, 2016 collision of Amtrak 89 with M/W equipment at Chester, Pa., on the Northeast Corridor.
The Federal Railroad Administration’s new Hours of Service (HOS) app is now available via the iPhone App Store:
Isn’t it, though? Six weeks ago, the Federal Railroad Administration announced it is withdrawing its ANPRM (Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) regarding testing and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea for safety-sensitive personnel, and then the National Transportation Safety Board opens its dockets on the two bumping post collisions at Hoboken Terminal on NJ Transit and Atlantic Avenue on the Long Island Rail Road.
Knee-jerks are part of business, one of the risks of doing business. As for knees, like most people, I have two of them, and as for jerks, I’ve been one, on occasion.
A friend and colleague sent the following letter to, among others, Dr. Amanda Emo, Fatigue Program Manager, Risk Reduction Program Division, Office of Safety Analysis, Federal Railroad Administration, regarding obstructive sleep apnea (OSA):
The news coming out of New York City hasn’t been very good lately: Daily, almost, service disruptions on the subway system. “Minor” derailments that injure passengers. A fatal injury to an LIRR maintenance-of-way employee. Forced service reductions at Pennsylvania Station to accommodate extensive maintenance of the interlocking plant.
William Rockefeller, the Metro-North engineer who fell asleep at the controls of Train 8808 on Dec. 1, 2013 and caused a derailment that killed four people and injured 61, is suing the railroad for $10 million.
While we’re waiting for the NTSB to analyze the event recorder data and forward-facing camera video on the NJ Transit cab car involved in the Sept. 29 Hoboken Terminal crash, assuming there is useable information (there is no data from the locomotive event recorder, because it was non-operational), let’s jump ahead a year or two and anticipate the conclusion of the NTSB’s investigation and the list of forthcoming recommendations.
The Sept. 29th NJ Transit accident in Hoboken will, of courser, trigger another round of the now-usual “how could its,” “should nevers,” “told yous,” “failure to properly regulates,” “lack of trusts,” “insufficient crew members,” “inadequate trainings” “cost/benefits,” from the usual parties, most of whom are motivated by the best of intentions, which just happen to coincide with some strictly personal agendas, or strictly organizational agendas, or election needs, and . . .
