FWIW, I was told the names of the Rialto crew. You know how BS flies on the railroad, could be true, could be false. The problem I have with your comment has to do with freight trains that make the same mistakes. Today's freight crews have 2 or 3 people up front and they STILL get past red signals, limits of authority, and other restrictions. How can you claim two people are the answer when it's been proven repeatedly that extra eyes don't prevent tragedies?

I want to offer my own opinion that isn't very popular among Metrolink crews, an "inconvenient truth" if you will. Many Metrolink conductors and engineers are greedy. The only thing they live for is their six-figure salary. They have no life because they've sacrificed everything for their job. I don't know of a more torturous way to earn a living.

Let's examine the work schedule of the crew in the Chatsworth accident. Both lived a very far distance from the Montalvo crew base they worked from, if I'm not mistaken about 75 miles each way. At minimum that's 2 hours of driving on a daily basis. Very similar to most Metrolink jobs, they worked 5:54am-9:26am and again from 2:00pm-9:05pm. Their layover is spent at a sub-par hotel, in a sub-par location. The area completely sucks, even if you're looking for a bite to eat. I consider the midday break part of the workday because the long schedule forces crews to take a nap.

5:54am to 9:05pm equals 15 hours and 11 minutes per day. Add their commute times and you get 17 hours a day minimum! At home, I'd be surprised if they sleep longer than 5 hours a night. The accident report notes that the conductor had been awake since 3:00am that day.

Schedules like these lead me to believe Chatsworth and Rialto occurred for the same reason. Engineers by themselves in the locomotive, cabcar, at the hotel, driving to and from work are alone for a very long time. When they return home at night everybody else is going to sleep. During the midday rest period, they have only their coworkers to socialize with, unless by some strange coincidence their spouses, children, or friends are free during the lunch hour and live near Burbank. What a horrible way to live your life.

I think Metrolink engineers are suffering the psychological effects of solitary confinement. Google that some time, lots of academics have written articles as it pertains to prisoners.

By all evidence the NTSB laid out, Sanchez was desperate to find social interaction even if that meant breaking the rules. I wouldn't be surprised if Rialto happened because the engineers enjoyed the socializing. No different from taking a road trip with other people in the car, you talk about fun things to pass the time.

In my opinion, the one thing Metrolink needs to do is eliminate these long assignments. Restructure the jobs so crews don't have to work mornings and evenings, even if that means deadheading crews in one direction. Give these people their lives back and I guarantee you they'll perform better. Unfortunately, this isn't a priority for the BLET and UTU either. They prefer filling up their bank accounts over maintaining their sanity.

I think it's really sad.