(Thee Associated Press circulated the following on June 12.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Soon after a commuter train fatally struck two track maintenance workers in Woburn, the train dispatcher told her supervisor, “It was my fault,” federal investigative documents confirmed yesterday.
The comments by the dispatcher, previously reported by the Globe, are among voluminous interview transcripts, factual reports, and other evidence about the Jan. 9 crash released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
They describe what occurred when a commuter train on the wrong track slammed into track maintenance equipment at 60 miles per hour, killing two maintenance crew workers and seriously injuring two others. Officials are probing why the train was on the track where the crew was working, when earlier trains had been switched to parallel tracks.
The train’s engineer called the dispatcher, identified as Lina Maseda, immediately after the crash to report his train had struck track equipment. The dispatcher used a computer program as part of the system to block sections of track undergoing maintenance.
“The train dispatcher turned to her supervisor and said: ‘We hit some track equipment, and it was my fault. He hit track equipment, and it was my fault. . . . I pulled down the wrong freaking block, and we hit something,’ ” the NTSB’s report said.
Maseda remains on administrative leave, said a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, which maintains, operates, and manages the commuter rail system under contract with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
Officials also are investigating whether the crew failed to install a required safety shunt on the tracks that could have warned approaching trains that workers were in the area. Workers told investigators they usually used shunting devices only for big jobs. The crew that was struck had been replacing crossties, which was not considered a big job, they said.
The NTSB won’t offer its conclusions, including a determination of probable cause in the crash, until the final report is completed. No timeline was given for the final report.