Federal board won't probe train crash (Union to protest in Canton accident)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/31/federal_board_wont_probe_train_crash/

By Noah Bierman
Globe Staff / March 31, 2008

Just about everyone involved with last week's commuter train crash in Canton that injured 150 passengers and crew members has said it could have been far more disastrous.


A freight car crashed into an MBTA commuter train last week in Canton, injuring 150 people. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)


A runaway freight car barreling down the tracks slammed into an MBTA commuter train on the Northeast Corridor, the heavily traveled route used by Amtrak's high-speed Acela trains.

But unlike some other recent train crashes, this one will not be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, which uses its investigations to make broader safety recommendations for the industry. The board handles about a dozen train crashes a year - among about 3,000 annually, according to the NTSB and federal administration statistics.

The head of the local train engineers union said he will protest, with the help of his national union, the NTSB's decision to decline the Canton crash investigation.

"NTSB is the federal entity with the real expertise," said George Newman, chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Local 57.

Newman also prefers an NTSB review, he said, because the agency lets union members participate in its fact-finding.

FULL story at link.