The engineer running a New Jersey Transit train that slammed into Hoboken Terminal in September had a undiagnosed sleep disorder, according to his attorney this week. The engineer, Thomas Gallagher, recently discovered that he had severe sleep apnea. The test results that confirmed the disorder were sent to federal authorities on Oct. 31. Gallagher stated that he did not remember […]
Hoboken NJ Train Engineer Had Undiagnosed Sleep Disorder
New Jersey Transit Approves Funds for Postive Train Control
In the wake of a deadly commuter train crash in a busy Hoboken, New Jersey train station, New Jersey Transit has approved a budget that includes funding for large parts of positive train control (PTC) system, which would include an automatic braking system that could automatically stop a train in an emergency situation. New Jersey Transit approved an agreement for […]
NTSB Finds That Hoboken Train Speed Tripled Before Wreck
A deadly train crash in New Jersey on Sept. 29 that killed one and injured more than 100 underwent a rapid acceleration just before impact as it entered a busy commuter station in Hoboken NJ, according to the NTSB. The NTSP stated that the train was rolling into the station at a normal eight MPH, but for some reason, about […]
US Railroad Workers Testing Positive for Drugs Skyrockets
In early 2016, a railroad worker who had just been briefed on an upcoming assignment was found dead in a restroom, having overdosed on illegal prescription drugs. In the following months, tests that were done after three railroad accidents found that six employees on the trains tested positive for drugs. In a report done by the Washington Post, testing in […]
FRA Issues Status Updates for Positive Train Control Progress
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) last week issued a status update that is calling for railroads to come out with Positive Train Control (PTC) technologies, which uses GNSS technology, as some as they are able to do so. This update also emphasizes the Obama administration’s call to send more funding to help commuter railroads to implement Positive Train Control. PTC […]
FRA Final Rule Requires Better Safety Approach for Passenger Rail
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a final rule in August 2016 that states that passenger railroads will need to adopt more proactive safety rules to prevent serious accidents, injuries and deaths. The final rule issued by the US railroad regulator is called the system Safety Program. Under it, railroads are required to develop a better and quantifiable safety […]
CT Congresswoman Reintroduces Rail Safety Enforcement Act
Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro is leading an effort on Capitol Hill to reintroduce the Rail Safety Enforcement Act, which would mandate that railroads establish and implement a Fatigue Management Plan. It also would provide railroad workers with a defined start time, or at least 10 hours notice before reporting to the job. DeLauro made the announcement at the West Haven […]
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 […]
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Claims Railroad Trestle Is Hazardous
A railroad trestle in Wilkes-Barre PA is a public safety hazard that has killed one person and left another person severely injured, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed in Luzerne County PA this week. The trestle crosses over East Thomas St. at South Cleveland St. in Wilkes Barre, and has a large gap between a set of current and […]
Amtrak and CSX Warn Drivers to Be Cautious at Railroad Crossings
Amtrak and CSX have teamed up with local police agencies in the Rochester NY area to remind drivers to take care around railroad crossings. The safety effort started this week along King Road in Chili NY near Rochester. This railroad crossing was the site of a fatal car and train crash in 2015. Investigators stated that the crossing gates came […]