WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will examine grade crossing design, operations, and “human performance” as it continues its investigation of a December collision between a CSX Transportation train and a Philadelphia trolley.
Those areas of interest are outlined in a preliminary report on the Dec. 9, 2021, collision involving the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley and a westbound CSX train in Darby, Pa. The report was released earlier this week. Seven people were injured in the accident, six of them on the trolley [see “Seven injured as SEPTA trolley, CSX train collide,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 9, 2021]. The accident also caused an estimated $130,500 damage, $125,000 of that to the trolley.
The report indicates that, after making a passenger stop, the trolley operator entered the Darby Diamond location, where the trolley and CSX lines intersect at a grade crossing, as the crossing gates were activated by the approaching freight train. The gates landed on the roof of the trolley, which was fouling the CSX track when it was struck by the train. NTSB investigators determined the gates and lights were operating properly.
The complete preliminary report is available here. Preliminary reports outline the basic facts of an incident and reach no conclusions as to cause or fault.
Thisarticle left out one important fact from the accident. I live here in Philly and it was widly reported that a vehicle stopped in front of the trolley as it was passing over the railroad crossing. The trolley was already fouling the tracks before the gate came down on it. It was in effect, trapped. I happen to railfan at that crossing as , for years it was the only place in the United states where a trolley line crossed a major railroad ( CSX Philly sub).
And of course, once the gate came down, the trolley couldn’t pull forward to clear the crossing because the gate would knock the pole off the wire.
Operator literally “crossed the line” when they stopped where they did. I wonder whether SEPTA has a rule that motor persons have to Stop, Look, & Listen before crossing which may have caught them in this case. If so, they stopped saw a head light and froze when they should have accelerated across.
Careful there, many transit workers are “fireproof” these days.
Fire the trolley driver. Crossing signals always activate the crossing lights before lowering the gate.