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NTSB: Probes of LIRR, NJ Transit Bumping Post crashes combined


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 22 February 2017 - 03:21 PM

Newsday,  Melville, NY 2/21/17:
 

NTSB: Probes of LIRR, NJ Transit crashes may be combined

 

 

The NTSB is considering combining the findings of its investigations into the separate crashes of an LIRR and NJ Transit commuter train into a single report that will address the need to prevent slow-speed train accidents at railroad terminals, officials said Tuesday.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it was looking at streamlining the two probes Tuesday, as MTA officials urged the Long Island Rail Road to do more to reduce the potential for accidents at train terminals — where federally mandated positive train control technology is not required.

 

SNIP

 

NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said the independent federal agency is “considering” combining the two probes “because both involved . . . issue areas that we want to explore,” including bumping posts, train accidents inside terminals and the applicability of positive train control crash prevention technology.

 

More here.

 

Related topics:

NJT/Commuter train accident at Hoboken Terminal 9/29/16

LIRR bumping post accident at Atlantic Terminal; some injuries 1/4/17



#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 05 February 2018 - 07:21 PM

NTSB Event Announcment:

Board Meeting : 2 Bumping Post Collision Investigations

 
NTSB Boardroom and Conference Center
2/6/2018 9:30 AM

 

The National Transportation Safety Board will meet on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 to determine the probable cause for the fatal, Sept. 29, 2016, NJ Transit commuter rail collision in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the Jan. 4, 2017, Long Island Rail Road collision at the Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, New York,

 

The agency is also preparing a Special Investigation Report focused on the findings from both the NJ Transit and Long Island Rail Road accidents. The Special Investigation Report will include recommendations based on those findings.

 

The commonalities in the accidents – both involving bumping post collisions at the end of a track in a terminal – warrant a singular discussion of the related safety issues. Combining each accident report with a Special Investigation Report allows each to be addressed in a single board meeting.

 

 

Webcast

NTSB public events are also streamed live via webcast. Webcasts are archived for a period of three months from the time of the meeting. Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the event day for public Meetings, and by the end of the next day for Technical conferences.

 

If you wish to obtain a copy of NTSB meetings, please contact the NTSB Records Management Division at (202) 314-6551 or 800-877-6799. You may also request this information from the NTSB web site or write the following: National Transportation Safety Board, Records Management Division (CIO-40), 490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW,Washington, DC 20594. View archived video of meetings (Webcasts are archived for a period of three months from the time of the meeting.)

 

 



#3 CNJRoss

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Posted 06 February 2018 - 11:40 PM

NTSB news release:

Nearly Identical Probable Causes for 2 Commuter Rail Accidents Drive Safety Recommendations

2/6/2018

 

Fatigue from Undiagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnea Caused Both Accidents

 

 

WASHINGTON (Feb. 6, 2018) — The National Transportation Safety Board Tuesday determined that two commuter railroad terminal accidents in the New York area were caused by engineer fatigue resulting from undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea.

 

The Sept. 29, 2016, accident on the New Jersey Transit railroad at Hoboken, New Jersey, killed one person, injured 110, and resulted in major damage to the station. The Jan. 4, 2017, accident on the Long Island Rail Road at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, New York, injured 108 people. Both accidents involved trains that struck end-of-track bumping posts and crashed into stations.

 

PR20180206-image.jpg
 
NJ Transit Pascack Valley Line train #1614 after crashing into the New Jersey Transit Hoboken Terminal Sept. 29, 2016.
(NTSB Photo by Chris O’Neil)
 

The NTSB found the two accidents had “almost identical” probable causes and safety issues. The board also determined that these safety issues were not unique to these two properties, but exist throughout the country at many intercity passenger and commuter passenger train terminals.

 

In a statement issued in August 2017 the NTSB expressed its “disappointment” with the withdrawal of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making by the Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration stating, “Obstructive sleep apnea has been in the probable cause of 10 highway and rail accidents investigated by the NTSB in the past 17 years … Medical fitness and fatigue, two of the NTSB’s 10 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements for 2017 – 2018, are tied to obstructive sleep apnea.”

 

“The traveling public deserves alert operators,” said NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt. “That is not too much to ask.”

 

When operating a train into a terminating track, the engineer’s actions, or lack thereof, solely determine whether the train stops before the end of the track. According to the FRA there are currently no mechanisms installed in the U.S. that will automatically stop a train at the end of the track if the engineer is incapacitated, inattentive or disengaged. Some railroads have overspeed capabilities, including New Jersey Transit and the LIRR. However, as shown in these two accidents, once the engineer slowed the train to the prescribed speed, the system did not stop the trains before they reached the end of the track.

 

In addition to recommending safety-sensitive personnel be screened for obstructive sleep apnea, the board recommended the use of technology, such as positive train control, in terminal stations and improving the effectiveness of system safety program plans to improve terminal operations. The NTSB made two recommendations to New Jersey Transit, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (the parent company of the Long Island Rail Road) and two to the Federal Railroad Administration.

 

“Today’s new recommendations, if acted upon, have the potential to eliminate end-of-track collisions,’’ Sumwalt said. “That translates to protection for passengers on trains, and for people standing on terminal platforms.”

 

The complete accident report will be available in several weeks.  The findings, probable cause, safety recommendations, Chairman Sumwalt’s prepared remarks and PowerPoint presentations used in Tuesday’s board meeting are all available at URL https://go.usa.gov/xnscj.

 

The New Jersey Transit Hoboken accident docket, containing more than 1,100 pages of supporting factual material, is available at https://go.usa.gov/xnAGJ.

 

The Long Island Rail Road Brooklyn accident docket, containing more than 1,400 pages of supporting factual material, is available at https://go.usa.gov/xnAGe.

 

 



#4 CNJRoss

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Posted 07 February 2018 - 10:43 AM

Metro Magazine:
 

Undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea to blame for NJ Transit, LIRR train crashes

Posted on February 7, 2018

 

 
  M-NTSB-NJTransit-PascackValleyLineTrain1

According to the FRA there are currently no mechanisms installed in

the U.S. that will automatically stop a train at the end of the track if the

engineer is incapacitated, inattentive, or disengaged.  Chris O'Neil NTSB

 

On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that two commuter railroad terminal accidents in the New York area were caused by engineer fatigue resulting from undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea.

 

The Sept. 29, 2016, accident on the New Jersey Transit railroad at Hoboken, N.J., killed one person, injured 110, and resulted in major damage to the station. The Jan. 4, 2017, accident on the Long Island Rail Road at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, injured 108 people. Both accidents involved trains that struck end-of-track bumping posts and crashed into stations.

 

The NTSB found the two accidents had “almost identical” probable causes and safety issues. The board also determined that these safety issues were not unique to these two properties, but exist throughout the country at many intercity passenger and commuter passenger train terminals.

 

Continue here.



#5 CNJRoss

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Posted 14 February 2018 - 06:46 PM

NTSB email 2/14/18:

NTSB Wire: NTSB Releases 3 New Rail Safety Investigation Reports

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD UPDATE

 

 

 NTSB Releases 3 Rail Safety Investigation Reports

 

 

The National Transportation Safety Board today released three new rail safety investigation reports, as follows:

 

 






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