On Saturday, October 19, 2013, at 1:44 p.m. Pacific daylight time, Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) train 963 struck and killed two engineering employees while they were working on BART’s main tracks near Walnut Creek, California. The train, which included four passenger cars, was travelling north on the Pittsburg/Bay Point-SFO (San Francisco International Airport) Line between the Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill stations. It was one of two trains being operated by BART managers because BART’s union employees were on strike. Both trains were transporting management employees, who were being trained as substitute operators and system maintenance workers. No paying passengers were being transported by either train.
We determined that the probable cause of the accident was the Bay Area Rapid Transit District’s use of simple approval for granting roadway worker access to the track, which required the workers to provide their own protection.
During the investigation we issued urgent recommendations to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to
- Issue a directive to all transit properties requiring redundant protection for roadway workers, such as positive train control, secondary warning devices, or shunting. (R-13-39)
- Issue a directive to require all transit properties to review their wayside worker rules and procedures and revise them as necessary to eliminate any authorization that depends solely on the roadway worker to provide protection from trains and moving equipment. (R-13-40)
As a result of this investigation we issued recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-Way Employees and Signalmen Committee.
