Yesterday evening the Board of SCRRA (Metrolink) held a closed session meeting described as pursuant to public safety threat (or words to that effect. The notice is no longer on their website). The real purpose of the meeting was to inform the Board that the NTSB had requested that the Rotem cab cars be withdrawn from service. As a result of inquiries resulting from the Oxnard accident NTSB has reason to believe that the plows are badly designed and may have been the reason the train derailed after hitting the truck on the tracks.
I wrote to SCRRA Chair Nelson with my concerns about the accident and also contacted the LA Times. Metrolink was quick to say that the crash Energy management had saved lives! I think that CEM is designed for train to train collisions but when the object is at a low level the coupling will still override that object and make the train unstable.
Metrolink is leasing 58 locomotives from BNSF and will run the trains with locomotives at both ends pending a determination by NTSB.
