National Transportation Safety Board

Images, clockwise from upper left: Damaged third-rail feeder cable from a PATH track in Jersey City, New Jersey; Dallas Area Rapid Transit Train 81 in contact with a low overhead catenary wire in Dallas, Texas (Source: FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth); and internal damage to SEPTA railcar following the Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, fire. (Courtesy of NTSB)

NTSB Issues ‘Rail Propulsion Power Systems’ Safety Alert

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on March 19 published Safety Alert No. SA-105, “Electric Propulsion Power Systems – Finding Risks in Aging Rail Infrastructure,” for transit and commuter rail operators. It provides five steps that agencies can take to manage systems and help “avoid critical failures.”

WMATA/Metro and KRC on Feb. 5 announced their “resolution of several ongoing contract disputes regarding, among other things, the 2021 Blue Line derailment of a 7000-series railcar which led to the entire 7000-series fleet being grounded.” (WMATA 7000-Series railcars, courtesy Wikipedia)

Transit Briefs: WMATA/KRC, NCDOT, PennDOT

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA/Metro) and Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc. (KRC) resolve their 7000-Series railcars disputes. Also, a new North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) study confirms that restoring Salisbury-to-Asheville passenger rail service would benefit the economy, job opportunities, and public transit in the area and the state; and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) advances the Scranton-to-New York Penn Station Passenger Rail Corridor project.

National Mediation Board member Deirdre Hamilton. (NMB Photograph)

NMB’s Hamilton Challenges Termination

National Mediation Board (NMB) member and Democrat Deirdre Hamilton has sued to regain her post following her Oct. 14, 2025, firing by POTUS 47—one of many legally questionable independent federal regulatory agency

The proposed CV Rail intercity passenger service would span approximately 144 miles, linking the City of Coachella, Calif., with Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. (Courtesy of RCTC)

Transit Briefs: LACMTA, BART, UTA, Phoenix Valley Metro, SEPTA, CV Rail

Parsons Transportation Group (Parsons) lands a contract for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) Metro A line extension project. Also, crime on the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) drops 41% in 2025; Utah Transit Authority (UTA) shares 2025 achievements and 2026 service plans; Phoenix Valley Metro in Arizona is identified as a top transit agency in the nation for ridership growth; leased railcars will soon enter Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) commuter rail service; and Southern California’s Riverside County Transportation Commission advances the proposed Coachella Valley Rail (CV Rail) project.

Figure 1: Aerial view of the accident site. (BNSF Image, Courtesy of NTSB)

NTSB Determines Probable Cause for BNSF M/w Employee Fatality

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the final report for its investigation of the Nov. 4,  2024, accident involving a BNSF maintenance-of-way (m/w) employee who was fatally struck by a BNSF freight train while driving a welding truck across a highway/rail grade crossing near New Rockford, N.Dak.

A SEPTA employee inspects a Silverliner IV Train. (Courtesy of SEPTA)

Transit Briefs: SEPTA, STM, LACMTA, NC By Train

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is restoring all morning express trips on Regional Rail as more Silverliner IVs return to service. Also, STM (Société de transport de Montréal) releases its 2026 budget and 2026-2035 Capital Investment Program; the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board will consider advancing the C Line Extension to Torrance and the Sepulveda Transit Corridor projects; and NC By Train in North Carolina breaks its ridership record for the fourth consecutive year.

Commentary

Will NMB, NTSB, STB Stay Independent?

WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE JANUARY 2026 ISSUE: It’s called “unitary executive theory.” It asserts the Constitution’s Article II provides for one executive, the President, and others may not wield substantial executive power

NTSB Determines Probable Cause for NJ Transit Collision

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the final report for its investigation of the Oct. 14, 2024, NJ Transit accident in which an Alstom employee was fatally injured when the train struck a tree that had fallen across the tracks near Florence, N.J.

Amtrak’s twice-daily Mardi Gras between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., has served more than 46,000 riders since its Aug. 18 launch. (Photograph Courtesy of Amtrak)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, SEPTA, TriMet, NJT, TTC, MBTA

Amtrak’s newest service, the Mardi Gras, is seeing strong demand. Also, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is taking delivery of 10 leased coaches from MARC (Maryland Area Regional Commuter Rail); Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) promotes Alan Lehto to Executive Director of Planning, a newly created position; New Jersey Transit (NJT) earns the 2025 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award; Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) considers advertising installations in subway tunnels; and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis) release a year-in-review report.