Rail related fatalities up 3.5% in 2016

Railroad fatalities were up in 2016 as compared to 2015, following the overall trend upwards for total transportation deaths, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Commentary

Culture wars, Part 1

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.

NTSB: Amtrak safety culture to blame for fatal crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) blamed ignored procedures and a fractured safety culture for the April 3, 2016, derailment of Amtrak train 89 near Chester, Penn.

NTSB dockets opened for NJT, LIRR crashes

Dockets for the fatal Sept. 29, 2016, NJ Transit commuter rail collision in Hoboken, N.J., and the Jan. 4, 2017, Long Island Rail Road collision at the Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, New York, were opened to the public Sept. 21 by the National Transportation Safety Board as part of its ongoing investigations of the two accidents.

NJT touts safety initiatives

On Sept. 21, the same day the National Transportation Safety Board opened the docket on New Jersey Transit’s Sept. 29, 2016 Hoboken Terminal crash to the public, NJT announced it “has implemented a variety of rail safety upgrades over the past year and is looking at additional enhancements for the future, as part of its commitment to safety.”

Amtrak 188 wreck engineer cleared of criminal charges

Citing a lack of evidence, a judge on Tuesday dismissed criminal charges including involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment against Brandon Bostian, the engineer of Amtrak train 188 that derailed in Philadelphia the night of May 12, 2015, killing eight and injuring 200.

NTSB: Crew erred in CSX derailment

A preliminary report cites human error as the cause of a fiery CSX derailment Aug. 2 that forced the evacuation of Hyndman, Pa.

NTSB: DOT-111 ethanol cars in UP wreck

The derailment and resulting fire involving a Union Pacific ethanol train in March included older DOT-111 tank cars, according to a preliminary government report.

NTSB: Bad axle caused BNSF collision

A broken axle led to a collision between two BNSF trains that touched off a crude oil spill and fire, a National Transportation Safety Board probe has found.

NJT wreck: NTSB now has “usable data”

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday, Oct. 6 that it obtained “usable data” from the event recorder and forward-facing video camera in the control (cab) car of New Jersey Transit train no. 1614, which crashed through a bumping post at Hoboken Terminal the morning of Sept. 29, killing a woman on the platform and injuring 108. It has released details downloaded from the recorders.

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