WASHINGTON — The conductor of a contract switching operator at BNSF Railway’s auto distribution facility in Richmond, Calif., was killed when he was pinned between two railcars during a shoving move, the National Transportation Safety Board said today (April 23, 2025) in its preliminary investigation report on the April 4 incident.
The conductor of three-person American Auto Works-ConGlobal switching crew CG-3 was working with two locomotives and five railcars, attempting to couple to another car, when the incident occurred about 9:17 a.m. local time. The conductor was directing the shoving move from between tracks 406, where the crew had just left eight cars, and 405, where the other five cars were to be dropped. When the other crew members did not hear any radio transmission from the conductor for a short period, the engineer stopped the locomotive and the brakeman went to search for the conductor, finding him between the cars.
The cars had misaligned couplers, which would not allow coupling. Preliminary investigation by the NTSB found no communication by the conductor that he was planning to go between the cars to address the mismatched couplers.
The preliminary report says the ongoing investigation will focus on crew communications; human performance; rules compliance; internal and external safety oversight; and operating procedures.
