Results tagged “unionpacific”

In what is the third train related death in a week, "authorities say a woman is dead after a Union Pacific freight train crashed into her sport utility vehicle on railroad tracks in Palmdale." Last weekend, two women died in separate incidents in Burbank and Chatsworth when they were hit by Metrolink and Amtrak trains, respectively.

In the wake of the deadly Chatsworth train crash where a Metrolink commuter train and Union Pacific freight train crashed head on killing 25 and injuring 135, technology called positive train control that detects and shut down trains heading towards each other will be installed by 2012, three years before federal law will require them to do so, Bottleneck Blog reports after a hearing today in Van Nuys.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators released information this afternoon regarding Metrolink Engineer Robert Sanchez' cell phone records. He sent 29 text messages while on duty the day of the crash with the last one sent at 4:22:01 p.m. The However, the NTSB says precise timing of cell phone activity and how it correlates with the crash is still under investigation. According to preliminary estimates, the crash occurred at 4:22:23 pm.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa quickly replaced appointees to the Metrolink board after the Sept. 12 crash that killed 25 people. At tomorrow's Metro Board meeting (where they will also be discussing late-night subway service), he'll be introducing motions to "add a second engineer to each locomotive cab, install video cameras and digital video recorders in the cab, implement 'automatic train stop' technology as an interim solution while positive train control is being developed, and establish an independent 'Commuter Rail Safety Peer Review Panel' to advise Metrolink on immediate and long-term improvements that will increase safety, reduce the risk of a catastrophic event, and focus on creating safety redundancy on Metrolink commuter rail network," according to Villaraigosa's office.

The Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2095) passed out of the differences committee (that's where senators and representatives work out differences in the versions of the bill each chamber approved and before it goes to the President) tonight in Washington D.C. "House and Senate negotiators have reached a deal on a major railroad safety reform bill that will require new technology to prevent crashes and limit hours engineers can work," the Associated Press reported.

After the September 12 Metrolink/Union Pacific train crash that claimed 25 lives, Metrolink repeatedly said that positive train controls, which automatically stop trains when two are on the same track heading at each other, "have not yet been perfected to the point where they can be installed throughout Southern California's rail system, where 66% of the tracks are shared by freight and passenger trains," according to the LA Times.

After the National Transportation Safety Board heard that teenagers were claiming Metrolink Engineer Robert Sanchez was texting with them moments before the crash, they subpoenaed his cell phone records but were wary saying a similar claim in a Boston crash was made and ended up being false. But these claims were true the NTSB announced on Wednesday night.

"The LAFD Dispatch Center received hundreds of 9-1-1 calls for assistance at the collision site, in addition to their normal call volume... The Los Angeles Fire Department has received dozens of requests for the release of the 9-1-1 tapes related to the Metrolink incident. Since it would take hundreds of hours to assemble, edit and distribute this information, the probability of fulfilling this request within a reasonable period of time would be doubtful. Therefore, the LAFD has assembled a small sampling of 9-1-1 calls which are reflective of the type of calls being received during this event." The three audio samples can be heard here: one, two, three.

Unfortunately we've been here twice already this year. First with Randall Simmons who was killed during a SWAT operation in the Valley. Then firefighter Brent Loverin died when a manhole exploded near LAX. Tomorrow will be host to our third funeral for Spree Desha, who died off duty in uniform when she was commuting home on Metrolink Train #111 that crashed head on with a Union Pacific freight train killing at least 26.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators continue their probe into Friday's deadly crash that has killed 26 people so far. Tests are so far suggesting that it may have been human error. His cell phone records are being subpoenaed to further look into claims from teen friends that Metrolink engineer Robert Sahchez was texting with them a minute before the crash.

The 26th person died today at County-USC Medical Center. He hasn't been named, but was in his 50s. However, the Metrolink engineer who died in the crash was officially named even though his name was released on Saturday by local teens who said they were friends with Robert Sanchez and were texting with him minutes before the crash. A partial list of the victims was released over the weekend.

Metrolink's Board will discuss mainly two matters today at a special meeting at the Woodland Hills Hilton regarding Friday's train crash that killed at least 25 people. They will speak to the Chief Safety Officer for the agency as well as hold a conference with their legal council regarding "anticipated litigation arising out of'" Friday's crash. It is unclear how publicly accessible the meeting will be at the hotel, but there are 15 teleconference locations spread throughout the region, the closest to the crash site being in Encino. A list via Metrolink's Emergency page is below:

The LA County Coroner's Office has released a partial list of the victim's names from Friday's train collision between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train. It does not include Robert Sanchez, the speculated engineer, or Paul Long who later died at a hospital.

At 4:22 p.m., one minute before the crash, the Metrolink train engineer sent a text to a teenage friend, a fellow rail enthusiast, about where the train would meet another passenger train, according to CBS2 News. While the engineer who died in the collision has not been identified by officials, the teens said he is Robert Sanchez and despite Metrolink's claims that he was at fault, his friends said "he would 'never' have been reckless or unprofessional or run a red light." Earlier today Metrolink said the engineer was at fault but gave no basis for their conclusion. Two videos have been posted on YouTube in honor of Sanchez.

As the Metrolink-Union Pacific train crash investigation continues through next week, Metro will be operating a bus bridge operation between the Chatsworth and Moorpark Metrolink stations with a stop at the Simi Valley Metrolink station, according to KNX1070. "Metro will begin running the buses on Monday, with southbound service leaving from Moorpark beginning at 5:07 AM, and the last northbound Metro bus leaving Chatsworth at 7:44 PM," stated a communication from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office.

As the search for victims ended this afternoon, one of the hospitalized victims died, making him the 25th loss due to yesterday's crash between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train. Paul Long, an English teacher at Oaks Christian School, was taken off life support at County-USC Medical Center this afternoon. He was traveling home with his wife and son, who were injured with non life-threatening injuries, after a trip to South Carolina for a funeral for Long's mother. A partial or full list of the deaths is expected to be released later today, but fire officials anticipate more deaths as so many people were taken to the hospitals in critical condition.

       

As of 11:45 a.m., numbers about from the Chatsworth train crash between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train remained static. 18 confirmed dead (including an LAPD Officer) with 135 injured. 45 of whom were in critical condition, 40 in serious and 50 in minor. 40 people were flown by helicopter to all twelve of the trauma centers around the city.

During a live press conference around 11:08 p.m. tonight, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa updated the injury count saying some 135 people were injured at this afternoon's Metrolink/Freight Train crash in Chatsworth. An estimated 222 people were on board with around 20 fatalities suspected. Update, 12:50 a.m.: 45 people were critically injured, according to KNBC.

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TV News Stations are reporting that an unnamed LAPD officer died in the crash. Live video showed at least 50 officers lined up to honor their fellow officer before firefighters took the body out of the train. Update, 11:30 p.m.: Seven-year veteran Officer Spree Desha, 35, was off-duty when the crash occurred. She worked in the Office of Operations. Also: LA County Sheriff's Deputy John Ebert was seriously injured in the crash. (Updates via LAO, NBC)

• Metrolink train #111 on the Ventura Line departed from Union Station and was headed to Moorpark; the train had left the Chatsworth station when it struck or was struck by a Union Pacific freight car at 4:23 p.m. near Heather Lee Lane, south of the 118 Freeway. The fire that ignited after the collision was quickly put out, and any concerns of hazardous materials were resolved early on.
• The LAPD is saying they believe at least 20 people are dead; an estimated 50-70 people are reported as injured. The train is estimated to have had 350-400 passengers on board. According to Mayor Villaraigosa, who spoke to the press just after 8 tonight, there were 10 confirmed dead and the number is expected to grow.
• Rescue operations are ongoing as of this time and have not yet converted to recovery, although the dogs trained to search out the deceased have been deployed.
• The LAPD issued a city-wide full tactical alert, and the rescue and aid operations have involved personnel from multiple local agencies. The LAFD is leading the unified command.
• Triage areas set up near the scene were said to be operating as expected and worked efficiently to assess the injured into 3 major categories and administer care or arrange for transport to hospitals all over the city, as needed. Victims were taken to multiple hospitals, including Northridge, Holy Cross, Cedars Sinai, and Children's Hospital.
• Family members seeking information regarding relatives on board the train may call 800-371-5465.
• Rescue work is ongoing, and is expected to continue into the night.
• An MTA Metrolink structural engineer has been called in to discuss movement of the overturned car and the separation of the affected rail cars