Wednesday, October 01, 2008 (Washington, D.C.)

“Today’s announcement by the National Transportation Safety Board regarding the tragic Metrolink crash has made it clear that the use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices must be immediately addressed. The bottom line is railroad operating employees cannot focus on their critical safety functions while engaging in phone conversations, texting or any other form of unessential electronic communication, often in violation of railroad operating rules.

“The consequences of inattentiveness and distraction are simply too catastrophic to be addressed at the operator or state level alone. As a result, we will issue an emergency order explicitly prohibiting the use of personal electronic devices by railroad employees while operating trains and in other settings. Everyone involved with rail travel deserves the full attention and focus of train operators, without exception and without excuse.”

The Emergency Order can be viewed at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/EmergencyOrder26.pdf .