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Railroads

HiRail collision, Rockville, MD. Jan 2010

January 2010: Poor Communication Contributed to Fatalities Caused by a Hi-Rail Vehicle 2 Fatalities

On January 26, 2010 at about 1:40 am, while moving in reverse down the track at approximately 13 mph, a hi-rail vehicle struck and fatally injured two train control technicians...

Canadian National collision, Two Harbors MN Sept 2010

September 2010: Fatigue and Cell Phone Use contributed to a Collision Between Two Freight Trains causing $8.1M Physical Damage

On September 30, 2010, at 4:05 p.m., a southbound Canadian National Railway freight train collided head on with a northbound Canadian National...

Metrolink 111 collision with UP. Chatsworth. Sept 2008

Sept 2008: Texting Caused a Collision Between Passenger and Freight Train. 25 Fatalities, 102 Injuries, over $12M in Physical Damage

On Sept. 12, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. a westbound regional Metrolink Train (passenger train) collided head-on with eastbound Union Pacific freight train near...

BNSF coal train collision

April 2011: Fatigue Caused Collision of a Moving Coal Train with a Standing Equipment Train 2 Fatalities, $8.7M Physical Damage

On April 17, 2011, at 6:55 a.m., a BNSF Railway coal train, travelling about 23 mph, collided with the rear end of standing BNSF Railway...

Attention Related Accidents

Attention related accidents cost lives, injuries, and millions of dollars in equipment.

Accident prevention relies on understanding attention, and guarding against internal (in cab) and external (outside of the cab) distractions. The consequences of inattention can be immense...

First person: Distraction and its Consequences

Learn about attention first-hand from two operators who lived through an actual rail misadventure. This video provides different perspectives of a near-fatal incident that occurred because of distraction. 

Strategies to Manage Distractions

System Developers

Those who build displays and workstations match the amount, pace, and layout of information with what operators need. Overloading with too much information can be as much of a problem as having too little information.

Rail companies use participatory...