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.

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 releases preliminary report on CSX crew fatalities

Two crewmen on a CSX train were setting out a car when they were struck and killed by an Amtrak passenger train on the night of June 27 near Washington’s Union Station.

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.

Crew member fatigue faulted in Union Pacific Hoxie accident

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) named crew member fatigue as the probable cause of a 2014 Union Pacific (UP) Hoxie, Ark., accident that killed two crew members and seriously injured two others.

NTSB releases preliminary report into Hoboken train accident

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released the preliminary report on the investigation of the New Jersey Transit accident at Hoboken Terminal that left one person dead and 110 injured.

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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