Amtrak train 4 derailed. (Source: BNSF) (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of NTSB).

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report on Amtrak Southwest Chief Derailment

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on July 21 released a preliminary report for its ongoing investigation of the June 27 grade crossing collision and derailment between Amtrak’s Southwest Chief train 4 and a dump truck near Mendon, Mo.

An aerial view of the Dec. 18, 2017 derailment. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Patrol.)

Settled: Amtrak Cascades Derailment Case

A settlement has been reached more than four years after Amtrak Cascades train 501, on its inaugural Point Defiance Bypass run, derailed in DuPont, Wash., as it entered a 30-mph curve at approximately 79 mph.

Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 derailed at Frankford Junction in Philadelphia on the Northeast Corridor, shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2015. (Accident scene image courtesy of NTSB)

Report: Former Amtrak Engineer Found ‘Not Guilty’ in 2015 Derailment

Ex-Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian was acquitted on March 4 of all charges related to the May 12, 2015 derailment of Northeast Regional Train 188 in Philadelphia that killed eight and injured more than 200.

WMATA Pauses 7000-Series Car Ramp Up

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has paused bringing on line additional 7000-series rapid transit cars, following an update to the cars’ service restoration plan.

WMATA 7000-Series Cars to Resume Service

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) 7000-series rapid transit cars will start returning to service this month under a “metered release” plan, the agency reported on Dec. 14.

NTSB Issues Wheelset Safety Alert, Preliminary Report on WMATA Derailment

Following the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Oct. 12 derailment, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a safety alert calling on rail transit agencies and commuter railroads to check their fleets for “wheelsets that do not meet gage specifications”; NTSB also released a preliminary report on the derailment.

Amtrak Service Returning to Point Defiance Bypass

Amtrak will resume Cascades service on the Point Defiance Bypass between Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore., on Nov. 18, nearly four years after an overspeed derailment stopped service there.

FTA Releases Safety Advisory Following WMATA Derailment

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued a Safety Advisory requiring State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOA) to report “out-of-tolerance wheel gauges” on all rail transit rolling stock in revenue service, and recommending fleet-wide inspections of wheel gauges at public transportation systems in their jurisdictions.

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report on Amtrak Empire Builder Derailment (UPDATED)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on its investigation into the Sept. 25 derailment of Amtrak’s Empire Builder train 7/27 near Joplin, Mont.

Commentary

Progress Requires Assessing and Reducing Vulnerabilities

I’ve received some comments, what is called “feedback” these days, on my most recent post regarding NTSB’s report on a fatal incident on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. Some of the commentators agree with

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