Economy

Transportation

NTSB urges railroads to boost safety measures for workers on the rails

By Luz Lazo
September 30, 2021 at 1:47 p.m. EDT

Federal officials Thursday reiterated their call for the Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak to implement new safety measures along work zones in rail corridors to safely manage train traffic. ... The National Transportation Safety Board said Amtrak must stop relying solely on lookouts to protect those working on rails, and instead make use of crash prevention technology known as positive train control (PTC) to prevent work zone fatalities.

Investigators are calling on the railroad to end the use of the “train approach warning” (TAW) system as the only method of on-track safety in corridors where PTC is available. ... TAW is an older method that requires designated workers to look out for approaching trains in a work zone, according to the NTSB. But it has proved ineffective in some cases, such as April 24, 2018, when a passenger train struck and killed an Amtrak rail watchman in a work zone in Bowie, Md.

Investigators determined that Amtrak’s safety work plan in Bowie did not take into account the challenges of multiple main tracks in a high-noise environment. ... “As the watchman was focused on his work crew and a southbound Maryland Area [Regional] Commuter (MARC) train servicing one adjacent track, he was unaware of northbound Amtrak train 86 approaching from behind him on the other adjacent track. He was struck and killed,” NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy wrote in a letter to Amtrak Chief Executive William J. Flynn on Thursday.

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In the 2018 case, investigators concluded that Amtrak’s decision to use the lookout system in a high-risk area allowed roadway workers to be exposed to the dangers of bidirectional trains traveling at speeds up to 125 mph. ... The incident, which led to the NTSB recommendation, was preventable, investigators said. The recommendation issued Thursday addresses failures in assessing site safety risks, safe train speeds in work zones and adequate protections for workers.

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By Luz Lazo
Luz Lazo is a transportation reporter at The Washington Post covering passenger and freight transportation, buses, taxis and ride-sharing services. She also writes about traffic, road infrastructure and air travel in the Washington region and beyond. She joined The Post in 2011. Twitter https://twitter.com/luzcita