WASHINGTON — A Caltrain commuter train hit three hi-rail maintenance vehicles — two flatbed trucks with cranes and a heavy-duty pickup truck — in the March 10 collision in San Bruno, Calif, that injured 14 people, according to the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The preliminary report outlines details of the accident but does not draw any conclusions as to cause. Initial information is subject to correction.
The locomotive derailed and the train caught fire after the March 10 collision, injuring 12 passengers, one crew member, and one maintenance worker [see “Caltrain collision with ‘on-track equipment’ ignites fire …,” Trains News Wire, March 10, 2022]. The train had been traveling at 63 mph before the locomotive engineer saw the equipment on track and applied the emergency brake; the initial report does not indicate the speed at the time of the collision.
The crew working on installation of catenary for Caltrain’s electrification had received exclusive track occupancy authorization prior to the collision, entering Track 2 at 9:50 a.m. and releasing exclusive authorization at 9:58 a.m. The collision occurred at 10:33 a.m.
Caltrain and its contractors estimated the accident caused almost $1.4 million in damage.
The NTSB indicates future activity in the ongoing investigation will focus on worker safety, training, and oversight, as well as regulatory compliance.
Wonder if there was a confusion of a TA for track 1? No mention of one?
The MofW force gave up their TA while they were still occupying the track?? That’s a new one. Does anyone have any more details about this?