The engineer who was running the train in Hoboken NJ that smashed into a busy commuter rail terminal, which killed a woman and injured more than 100, told federal investigators this week that he was only going 10 MPH as he approached the station, but has no memory of the crash. The statement from the train engineer, Thomas Gallagher, came […]
NJ Train Engineer Has No Memory of the Crash That Killed 1
New Jersey Train Station Crash Kills 1, Injures 100
A New Jersey Transit train crashed and derailed as it arrive into Hoboken Terminal just before 9 am on Thursday morning. The rush hour train crash killed one person and injured more than 100. Images posted on social media showed that the train tore through a wall and severely damaged the station, leaving train debris strewn about and twisted metal […]
Oregon Train Derailment Caused by Broken Bolts Missed During Inspection
On June 3, a crude oil train derailed in Mosier, Oregon, spilling thousands of gallons of oil and causing local residents to evacuate. The 16 car derailment in Oregon was caused by a set of broken bolts that were missed during a routine inspection by a track inspector with the Oregon Department of Transportation. ODOT recently concluded that several lag bolts that […]
3 Railroad Employees Missing After Head-On Crash in Texas
Two BNSF freight trains slammed into each other on the same track outside of Amarillo TX, with at least one railroad worker injured and three missing. According to a spokesman for the Carson County TX sheriff’s office, the chances of finding the missing crew members alive is low. The two train crash happened at 8:25 central time on Tuesday near […]
2015 Philadelphia Train Crash Caused by Distracted Engineer
The Amtrak engineer that ran a train off the rails outside Philadelphia in May 2015, which killed eight people, was most likely distracted by several radio dispatches, according to a source close to the federal investigation. The engineer who was running Amtrak 188 informed federal investigators that he hardly could recall the moments before the late night crash. He added […]
Amtrak Derailment Kills Two in Philadelphia
Two people died today and 35 injured in an Amtrak train derailment near Philadelphia, when the train slammed into a backhoe that was on the tracks. The train derailed, with seven crew members and 341 passengers on board. The train was traveling from New York City to Savannah, GA when the lead engine derailed in Chester PA at 8 AM […]
More Passengers File Lawsuits Against Amtrak
A Philadelphia law firm stated this week that it will seek punitive damages in lawsuits filed for six more passengers in the deadly Amtrak derailment last May. The law firm, Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, stated that the complaints that were filed in federal court will be consolidated with others that were filed earlier this year. The law suits allege […]
Warren Buffett’s Railroad Helps to Delay Train Safety Measures
After an Amtrak train derailed last May in Philadelphia, which killed eight people and injured dozens, it appeared that the railroad industry’s efforts to delay the installation of safety technology on all passenger trains was at an end. However, under pressure from Warren Buffett’s BNSF Railway Company, the US Congress passed another law that delayed the implementation of positive train […]
FRA Pushes for Fast Upgrades to Train Safety Systems
The head of the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) promised to be aggressive in urging railroad companies to install newly mandated safety systems as soon as possible, even though Congress moved the deadline back to 2018. The safety system is called Positive Train Control or PTC, and was supposed to be operating nationwide by the end of 2015. Its widespread use […]
Families of Canada Train Derailment Victims Sue Railroad
A lawyer who represents most of the families of the 47 people who died in an oil train derailment in Quebec two years ago said last week that a Canadian railroad’s refusal to pay into a settlement fund is ‘reprehensible,’ and the families will sue the railroad. Canadian Pacific states that it does not have any responsibility for the disastrous, […]