NTSB updates probe into fatal Amtrak accident

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) earlier this week issued a preliminary report on its ongoing investigation into a Feb. 23 accident in which an Amtrak roadway worker was struck and killed by an Amtrak snow-patrol train in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The accident occurred in the vicinity of the High Steel Industries facility, where a three-person Amtrak roadway maintenance work group was assigned to remove snow and ice from a switch following a winter storm, according to NTSB's report.

The snow-patrol train originated in Philadelphia and was serving to clear ice from the catenary wires between Philadelphia and Harrisburg in preparation for the restoration of regular passenger service following a snowstorm. The train crew consisted of an engineer positioned in the lead locomotive and a conductor positioned in the passenger car. The three-person roadway maintenance work group included a designated watchman, the foreman who was clearing snow from a switch, and a third employee who was in a truck positioned about 700 feet from the site.

Before the accident, the train departed Lancaster Station eastbound on main track No. 1. The fatally injured employee (the foreman of the work crew) was clearing snow from a switch using a gas-powered leaf blower on the same track. At the time of the accident, the roadway maintenance work group was using train approach warning as its method of on-track safety.

Just prior to the accident, the engineer, as he was operating the train through the work area, observed an individual standing in the foul of the track at the switch. The engineer sounded the locomotive horn and placed the train into emergency braking. The train was traveling at 87 mph when it struck the foreman who was clearing the snow.

All aspects of the collision remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause with the intent to issue safety recommendations to prevent similar events, according to the report.