[www.ntsb.gov]

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NTSB ADVISORY

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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
October 1, 2008

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UPDATE: NTSB'S INVESTIGATION OF THE METROLINK, UNION PACIFIC
ACCIDENT IN CALIFORNIA

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The following is an update of the NTSB's investigation of
the September 12, 2008 accident in Chatsworth, California
involving a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific
freight train. As a result of the head-on collision, there
were 25 fatalities and numerous injuries.


Information regarding the Metrolink engineer's cell phone
activity on the day of the accident was obtained from his
service provider under subpoena from the NTSB. As part of
the ongoing investigation, this information is being used to
determine the timing of cell phone activity, which includes
text messaging to and from the engineer's cell number, in
relation to the engineer's duty hours and train operations.

Although the precise timing and correlation of these events
is still underway at the Safety Board's Recorder Laboratory,
preliminary information is being released regarding the
approximate cell phone activity during the engineer's duty
hours on the day of the accident.


On the day of the accident, the Metrolink engineer was on
duty for two periods of time. The engineer was responsible
for the operation of a train from 6:44 am until 8:53 am.
During this period of time, the engineer's cell phone
received 21 text messages and sent 24 text messages.


He was then off duty until 2:00 pm. The engineer was
responsible for the operation of Metrolink train 111 from
3:03 pm until the time of the accident. During this time
period, the engineer's cell phone received 7 text messages
and sent 5 text messages. According to the time on the cell
phone provider's records, the last text message received by
the engineer's phone before the accident was at 4:21:03 pm,
and the last text message sent from the engineer's cell
phone was 4:22:01 pm.


A preliminary estimate for the time of the accident,
according to the Union Pacific train's onboard recorders, is
4:22:23 pm. The Safety Board's Recorder Laboratory is
continuing to correlate times recorded for use of the
Metrolink engineer's cell phone, train recorder data, and
signal system data to a common time base.


"I am pleased with the progress of this major investigation
to date," Acting NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said today.
"We are continuing to pursue many avenues of inquiry to
find what caused this accident and what can be done to
prevent such a tragedy in the future."


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NTSB Media Contact:

Terry N. Williams
(202) 314-6100
williat@ntsb.gov