The report pinpoints “Other crew activities” of westbound train Q395006 which struck the rear of the stopped ethanol train. Between 1:13pm and the time of the collision, there was cell phone activity (text messages and unanswered phone calls) to/from the conductor.
The cause of the accident was “failure of the crew of train Q395006 to maintain vigilent attention to the wayside signals, communicate effectively, avoid distractions from prohibited text messaging, and comply with speed restrictions…”
We know the conductor was distracted…what about the engineer?
I re-read the interviews with the conductor and engineer (on the website along with 90 items). Both conductor and engineer seem to have had telephone activity right before the accident. The final report indicated the conductor had activity, but failed to mention the engineer’s activity. I wonder why.
At 1:18pm Engineer Greene received a short phone call. Several short outgoing phone calls were made after the accident. The engineer stated in the interview that the phone was in his grip and turned off and was destroyed during the accident, yet there were a number of calls made from the phone.
My question is this…how are railroads going to control the use of cell phones during operations? I really don’t think they can. My guess is that if a train crew wanted to communicate during working hours they would buy a disposable phone so there would be no internal records on their cell phone provider.
It’s a shame that the railroads would have to resort to that, but in today’s “connected” age, all too many people seem to be unable/unwilling to hang up.
LION welcomes inboard facing cameras. Then him could PROFF that him was doing the right thing in the right way and was not distrackted by electronic gizmos.
There used to be some restaurants and theaters that installed small transmitters that jammed the cell phone frequencies so that patrons COULD NOT be disturbed by incoming calls or other people making calls.
I believe the practice was outlawed by the FCC, but I wonder if it could be exempted in the cab of a locomotive? Would not take much power to wipe out signals inside the cab to make a cell phone inert.
The problem there may be possible interference with PTC communications. I could easily be wrong, but I believe the spectrum used for cell phones may be one avenue being used for PTC communications.
And, there may be times when cell phone use may be useful, or even desirable (or even necessary), necessitating the ability for someone to shut off the blocking.
It’s gonna be a tough nut to crack. Obviously prohibitions don’t work, and other solutions may fall victim to the law of unintended consequences.
Company supplied radio communication for railroad employees IS NOT always effectively operational in all areas of the property. There are dead spots where Train, Engine and MofW crews are not able to make contact with the appropriate parties using company radio systems. In many of these incidents, the only way to contact the required parties is cell phone communication. In other incidents, no direct communication can be established, by any means of communication.
FRA Emergency Order on Cell Phones that was issued following the Chatsworth, CA incident and were enacted into carrier Operating Rules forbid having a turned on cell phone in the moving cab of a locomotive in their possession. Having a turned off cell phone in ones grip is permissible. Crews are Efficiency Tested on their compliance with these rules. Employee contact phone numbers are available to appropriate company officials, who during a Efficiency Test in another area of the Operating Rules, will dial the numbers for the employees on the trains being tested, and see if the phone in the grip or on their person rings - if it is on their person and it rings or not, it is a E Test failure - if it is in their grip and it rings - it is also a E Test failure.
Cell phone rules are taken serious - at least by my carrier.
My company takes it seriously as well, but I’ve been under the impression, and maybe it’s a company thing, but officers aren’t permitted to call the cell phones when they know the person is on duty as part of a test. Besides, they have detectors available that can detect turned on cell phones. There was talk a while back that we were going to follow (I think
I don’t think it’s too far fetched to think that there is technology out there already that would allow a sensor in the cab to tell when a cell phone is in use. I picture a red light that goes on when a cell phone is used, in conjunction with a signal sent to somone in an office somewhere.
Interesting comment about the transformation of having rules, ETTs, etc in digital form. I have noticed many online sites, often union sites which have this type of information available online. Has your employer stated the reason for such postings?
My employer has a rule against using cell phones while driving, yet my boss is one of the biggest violators of that rule.
One of the primary causes, based on information available so far, of the Spanish train crash at Santiago de Compostella was the use of a cell phone by the engineer. Apparently he was called up by the train company to discuss the future route of his train. OOPss.
About the only positive thing to come out of the Chattsworth wreck was a crack down on cell phone use. I won’t count the other “Positive” thing. Suffice it to say, I’m glad my remaining rail career is short!
Cell phone use had become so common among crews on my carrier, that it became kind of a peer pressure thing to be available to gossip while enroute. I was often chided for not answering my phone, accused of keeping it in a sock in my grip! It was a distraction I did not need. With work authorities to contact, Dispatcher inquiries, temporary speed restrictions and focusing on signal aspects, the last thing I need is to be gabbing on a phone. Anyone who still doesn’t recognize this needs to find a different career.
As for inward facing cameras, Please refer to the second sentence of my first paragraph rant.
I n my opinion, the use of a cell phone in the cab of a locomotive EXCEPT for company business should result in IMMEDIATE dismissal of the offending employee. The employee would be prohibited from working for any railroad in north america again. As soon an employee is fired for such an offense ALL railroads would IMMEDIALTY be notiied. There have been too many acidents caused by talking on or texting with a cell phone which has resulted in too many accidents and loss of life. This would put the fer of GOD into employees and result in it not happening. This may sound a little drastic and draconian, but the prevention of accidents and loss of life comes first above one employee violating the rules.
Part of the work of Train & Engine crews is ‘Job Briefing’. My carriers rules require crew members to all be job briefed at the begining of their work day and as necessary throughout the work day.
Recent article I read stated that the Spanish Engineer & Conductor were having a conversation concerning the details of a upcoming station stop.
While news articles have mentioned ‘cell phone’ as the communication medium. Was it a personal cell phone? Was it a company supplied communications medium - radio?, train intercom? company supplied cell phone?
When you have a Engineer isolated from the rest of the crew, how are updated job briefings to take place as the trip progresses?