Posts by William Wallace
NTSB cites undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea in two recent commuter rail crashes
(Source: National Transportation Safety Board press release, February 6, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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,…
Read MoreAll charges reinstated against engineer in fatal 2015 Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia
(Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, February 6, 2018) PHILADELPHIA — In a decision certain to reignite debate over one of the most consequential events in recent city history, a Philadelphia judge on Tuesday reinstated all criminal charges against the engineer in the fatal 2015 Amtrak derailment. Full story: Philadelphia Inquirer Thursday, February 08, 2018
Read MoreIn the Line of Duty: Michael Kempf
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, February 7 — BLET member Michael Kempf, a member of BLET Division 35 in Jacksonville, Fla., was killed when his Amtrak train collided with a CSX train tied down in a siding near Columbia, S.C., on February 4, 2018. Brother Kempf was 54 years old. Also killed in the crash was 32-year-old conductor…
Read MoreBNSF reports record year for economic development
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/07/2018) BNSF Railway Co.‘s customers invested nearly $7.7 billion in new or expanded facilities in 2017, the Class I announced yesterday. Last year marked the seventh consecutive year that BNSF customers and local economic development organizations invested more than $1 billion in a calendar year on new or expanded facilities. The investments…
Read MoreNTSB: Sleep apnea probable cause of NJ Transit, LIRR accidents
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/07/2018) Two commuter-rail accidents at train stations in the New York City were caused by engineer fatigue resulting from undiagnosed sleep apnea, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined yesterday. The Sept. 29, 2016, accident involving a New Jersey Transit train at the terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey, killed one person and injured 110. The MTA Long…
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