USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Passenger/Freight Train Collision September 12, 2008, Chatsworth, CA : Appendices A.1 Through B.3

Document Series
Technical Reports
Author
Federal Railroad Administration
Report Number
DOT/FRA/ORD-17/20
Office
RDI-22
Subject Accident Reduction
Keywords
Transportation, safety, rail accident investigation, crashworthiness, structures and dynamics, Chatsworth collision, passenger train

On September 12, 2008, a passenger train and freight train collided head-on in the Chatsworth district of Los Angeles, CA. Each train was initially travelling at more than 40 mph. Twenty-five people were killed and approximately 138 were injured, many severely. With assistance from emergency responders, local authorities, and accident survivors, both the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rail Accident Forensic Team and the National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident. This report on the Chatsworth accident by the Forensic Team presents the estimated sequence of events of the collision, the behavior (dynamics) and specific structures of the trains, passenger injuries, the performance of emergency preparedness and crashworthiness features, and recommendations for enhanced protections to improve passenger safety in the future. The appendices include greater technical detail on the train structures and dynamics, and passenger experiences.

See Also:


DOT is committed to ensuring that information is available in appropriate alternative formats to meet the requirements of persons who have a disability. If you require an alternative version of files provided on this page, please contact FRADevOps@dot.gov.
Last updated: Friday, September 29, 2017