On Sunday, December 1, 2013 at 07:19 a.m. eastern standard time, southbound Metro-North Commuter Railroad passenger train #8808 derailed at milepost 11.35 on track number 2 of the Metro-North Hudson Line. The train originated in Poughkeepsie, NY with a destination of Grand Central Station in New York City. It consisted of 7 passenger cars and 1 locomotive at the rear in a push configuration. All 7 passenger cars and the locomotive derailed. The derailment occurred in a 6 degree 30 minute left hand curve where speed was limited to 30 mph. Event recorder data indicates that the train was traveling at 82 mph when it derailed. As a result of the derailment, 4 passengers were killed and 59 persons were transported to local hospitals for injuries. Metro North estimated there were about 115 passengers on the train at the time of the derailment.
Damage was estimated by Metro North to be in excess of $9,000,000. The weather at the time of the accident was reported as 39° F with cloudy skies.
See the photos on flickr.
We determined that the probable cause of the accident was the engineer’s noncompliance with the 30-mph speed restriction because he had fallen asleep due to undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea exacerbated by a recent circadian rhythm shift required by his work schedule. Contributing to the accident was the absence of a Metro-North Railroad policy or a Federal Railroad Administration regulation requiring medical screening for sleep disorders. Also contributing to the accident was the absence of a positive train control system that would have automatically applied the brakes to enforce the speed restriction. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the loss of the window glazing that resulted in the fatal ejection of four passengers from the train.
As a result of the investigation, we issued safety recommendations to Metro-North recommending the installation of permanent speed restriction signs, inward- and outward-facing audio and image recorders, and the use of the recordings to verify crew compliance with safety rules.
