CLEVELAND, February 12 — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen will provide one of the witnesses at a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) public hearing on the 2008 collision in Chatsworth, California involving a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train.
Representatives from labor, management and the Federal Railroad Administration will be called at witnesses. Bill Walpert, BLET National Secretary-Treasurer and Director of the BLET Safety Task Force, will be the party spokesman and witness for the BLET. Other BLET representatives include Ben Blissett and Carl Fields of the BLET Safety Task Force.
The two-day hearing will begin on March 3, 2009, at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L””Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C.
On September 12, 2008 at approximately 4:22 pm (Pacific Daylight Time), Metrolink commuter train 111 and a Union Pacific freight train collided. As a result of this head-on accident, there were 25 fatalities and numerous injuries.
On the day of the accident, the Metrolink engineer, who was responsible for the operation of the train, received and sent several text messages on his cell phone while he was on duty.
Topics to be discussed at the two-day hearing include: train signals, operating rules (including calling signals and the use of cell phones), and positive train control.
Other witnesses to the hearing will be representatives from: Metrolink, Union Pacific, the Federal Railroad Administration, California Public Utilities Commission, Connex Railroad (the company that employed the engineer and that contracted with Metrolink), United Transportation Union, and Wabtec Corporation.
The hearing will be webcast. An agenda and webcast details will be posted on the Board’s website, http://www.ntsb.gov, when available.