Panel Of Experts Chosen To Examine Rail Safety

October 14, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by Los Angeles Metrolink accident lawyers, there has been an 11 person panel of experts chosen to look at Metrolinks commuter safety and their operating procedures. This comes after last months deadly accident that Metrolink has taken responsibility after they stated that the engineer aboard the train failed to stop for a red light.

This panel is composed of 11 experts in the industry, passengers advocate and members of academia, that are expected to issue a draft to Metrolink of improvements that can be made to ensure safety.

The report is expected to be sent to Metrolink in seven to ten days, along with a more in depth report to be made in approximately 60 days according to Keith Millhouse, Metrolink board vice president and Moorpark city councilman.

The board has been pushing to change or add several safety measures since the Chatsworth Metrolink crash; these include an automatic braking system and a camera system that will monitor the train crew. One of the things that has been changed on many of the Metrolink trains is the addition of a second engineer or a trainmaster on approximately 25 trains a day. These extra engineers or trainmasters have been placed on routes like the Chatsworth route that share the rails with freight trains.

According to Metrolink executive Gary Crary this will present problems near the holidays. This is unless more engineers are hired as a long term solution, which would still take until February for the newly hired engineers to be trained and ready.