Commentary

Dear NTSB . . . . .

The National Transportation Safety Board recently released an open letter to MTA Metro-North Railroad containing its initial safety recommendations derived from the ongoing investigation into the Dec. 1, 2013 derailment of train 8808, which killed four passengers and injured 59.
Commentary

Data drought haunts FRA crew-size mandate

By the Federal Railroad Administration’s own congressional testimony, the years 2012 and 2013 were among the railroads’ safest on record, while the relatively few train crashes were mostly the result of human error and track defects.

NTSB, TSB issue joint CBR safety recommendations

The National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, on Jan. 23, 2014 issued a series of recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), both of which are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to address the safety risks of crude by rail (CBR). The recommendations are not unusual or groundbreaking; that NTSB and TSB have issued them jointly is indicative of increased cooperation among U.S. and Canadian regulatory bodies regarding CBR.
Commentary

Emergency Order 29: Where’s the consistency?

When we investigate accidents and injuries, when we analyze failures of any sort on any railroad, we are searching for a root cause—that determining factor, or factors, that drive the accident from a potential condition to a manifest event.

Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway CBR train derails, explodes

A 90-car Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway CBR (crude by rail) train derailed and exploded in a rural area of western Alabama early on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, leaving 26 cars burning. Thirty cars derailed or were damaged. The main line was expected to be out of service for about a week.

NTSB: Angels Flight needs safety upgrades

The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended “urgent” safety upgrades for Los Angeles’ Angels Flight funicular, saying the incline lacks suitable evacuation options.

Maine House rep introduces two-person-crew bill

Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Me.) on Aug. 2, 2013 introduced “The Safe Freight Act,” a bill requiring a minimum of two-person crews for freight trains. Fellow Maine Democrat Rep. Chellie Pingree is an original cosponsor of the bill.
Commentary

The camera never blinks

“Here’s looking at you, kid,” is a cherished line from the movie Casablanca,but when the looking is through a hidden camera lens in the locker room or even visibly trained on crewmembers inside a locomotive cab, well, you won’t hear the more famous line, “This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.”

Commentary

Will face-time determine new DOT secretary?

It is said that the most dangerous place to stand is between a television camera and the publicity hungry Democratic Senator from New York, Chuck Schumer.