Calif. bans cell phones for train crews in wake of deadly crash

Calif. bans cell phones for train crews in wake of deadly crash California utility regulators voted unanimously Thursday to impose an immediate ban on cell phone use by railroad crews within the state.
   The move comes following revelations by federal investigators that the on-duty engineer of a Metrolink commuter train was text-messaging on his phone just moments before running a red signal light and colliding headfirst with a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles last Friday. The crash was the state's deadliest in 50 years, killing 25 people, including the Metrolink engineer, and injuring more than 130.
   While Metrolink is one of a handful of railroads that already ban the use of cell phones by on-duty rail crews, state regulators found that the rules are routinely ignored. Until Thursday, the state had no rules regarding cell phone use by rail crews, and the federal government, while working on such rules for several years, has yet to adopt a national policy.
   The California Public Utilities Commission circumvented normal rules procedures to impose the emergency order banning the use of all wireless devices by train brakemen, conductors and engineers while on duty aboard a moving train. Approved exceptions provide for the use of the devices in emergencies or with the permission of supervisors.
   National Transportation Safety Board investigators found that in addition to using the cell phone just prior to the crash, the Metrolink engineer ran his train through a red stop signal on the track only moments before the collision and did not apply his train's brakes before hitting the freight train. A test conducted on the curving section of track over the weekend found that the two trains would have been visible to each other for less than six seconds before the collision. The board also found that the tracks and signals were in proper working order and blamed human error for the collision.
   Under the new state rule, violators face a maximum $20,000 per violation and potentially having their operations shut down.