NTSB says fatigue caused fatal train crash

The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that crew fatigue ultimately caused the fatal train collision in Texas two years ago that resulted in the release of 9,400 gal of chlorine. "Get enough sleep. It sounds so simple, and yet we continue to see accidents caused by fatigue," says NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. In June 2004 near Macdona, Texas, a Union Pacific Railroad train was traveling westbound on the same mainline track as an eastbound BNSF train. As the BNSF train was entering a parallel siding, it was struck by the UP train. As a result of the collision and subsequent derailment, a tank car on the UP train loaded with liquefied chlorine was punctured. The chlorine engulfed the area surrounding the accident site. The UP conductor and two local residents died from chlorine inhalation. In its report, NTSB recommends that the Federal Railroad Administration require that railroads base their crew scheduling on scientific measures designed to reduce fatigue.