NTSB to hold investigative hearing on Metro-North accidents

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTS) will hold an investigative hearing on Oct. 22 to address two MTA Metro-North Railroad accidents that occurred earlier this year.

The first incident involved a derailment and a collision between two Metro-North commuter trains on May 17 in Bridgeport, Conn. The second occurred in West Haven, Conn., May 28, when a Metro-North passenger train struck and killed a rail worker.

Representatives from Metro-North, government and the rail industry will serve as witnesses and address issues related to track inspection and maintenance, passenger-car crashworthiness standards, operational protection of on-track work zones and organizational safety culture, NTSB officials said in a press release.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recently appointed a "blue ribbon" panel of industry experts to examine the circumstances behind the incidents at Metro-North, as well as other safety-related incidents at MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA New York City Transit. All three railroads have experienced derailments in the past several months, with track-related defects identified as a possible cause or contributing factor.