Emergency brake automatically activated in train derailment

The emergency brake on Amtrak train 501 was automatically activated in a train derailment near DuPont early Monday morning.

Bella Dinh-Zarr with the National Transportation Safety Board said in a news conference Tuesday that preliminary investigations show the engineer did not initiate the emergency brake.

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It’s still unclear why the train was traveling at 80 miles an hour around a curve where the posted speed limit is 30 mph. Dinh-Zarr says her team is beginning to schedule interviews with the crew members as their medical status allows and they’ll know more in the next few days.

In addition to crew interviews, Dinh-Zarr requested eyewitness accounts at eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov. She also said NTSB has acquired the event data recorder from the lead locomotive; the recorder from the rear locomotive was recovered on Monday. Inward and outward facing cameras were also recovered, but they were significantly damaged in the crash. Those cameras have been sent to NTSB’s laboratories in Washington D.C.

Dinh-Zarr says there was a conductor gaining experience and learning the territory in the cab with the engineer. A second conductor — the actual conductor — was in the passenger area, which is another duty of a conductor.

The NTSB will investigate the level of distraction and will review cell phone records for the entire crew, which is protocol after an accident.

“Distraction is one of our most wanted list of priorities at the NTSB,” Dinh-Zarr said.

As for train service, Dinh-Zarr said, “Multi-layered testing started in January with Sound Transit and Amtrak. The crews have been operating for at least two weeks prior to the accident with non-revenue trains, as well as one VIP train.”

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NTSB will evaluate the entire process leading up to the inaugural run from Seattle to Portland on Monday.

While PTC — or Positive Train Control — was not activated on the train line, Dinh-Zarr says Sound Transit had CTC — or Centralize Traffic Control.

“This is a system that allows for dispatch direction over the train. CTC is not PTC, however. CTC cannot enforce speed restrictions on a train like PTC can,” Dinh-Zarr said.

The locomotive was in the process of getting PTC installed, but it was not yet functional.

NTSB is expected to remain on the scene for 7-10 days, but will stay longer if necessary. The train cars are being moved to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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