On May 28, 2008, shortly before 6p.m., two westbound

MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

trains collided on the Green Line D branch between

Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

and

Waban Waban ( – ) was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American of the Nipmuc group and was thought to be the first Native American convert to Christianity in Massachusetts. Early life and first contact with the English Little is known ...

stations, behind 56 Dorset Road in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...

. An investigation by the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

(NTSB) originally found the cause of the accident to be due to the operator

texting while driving Texting while driving, also called texting and driving, is the act of composing, sending, or reading text messages on a mobile phone while driving, operating a motor vehicle. Texting while driving is considered traffic safety, extremely dangerous ...

, but the NTSB later found that the operator of the rear train, Terrese Edmonds, had not been using her cell phone at the time of the crash, but rather went into an episode of micro-sleep, causing her to lose awareness of her surroundings and miss potential hazards up ahead. The collision killed Edmonds, and numerous others were injured. Fourteen passengers were taken to area hospitals; one was

airlifted An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distan ...

. This crash, along with another similar accident a year later, led the NTSB to set higher standards and regulations regarding the use of cell phones while operating a train.

Background

The Green Line is a

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

system run by the

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

(MBTA) in the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, metropolitan area. It is the oldest subway line in the United States. The Green Line splits into multiple branches; the D branch is a grade-separated, dual track line operating from a terminal station at Riverside to Kenmore station, where the D branch merges with the other Green Line branches and operates on shared tracks into downtown Boston. The D branch uses block signaling between Waban and Woodland stations; operating rules require that Green Line trains encountering a single red signal to hold for 1 minute, then proceed at no more than 10 miles per hour past the red signal while being prepared to stop short of any train or other obstruction.

Accident

The 2008 Massachusetts train collision occurred on the westbound track between

and

stations. Trains 3667 and 3681 were both Green Line trains operating in the westbound direction on the D branch at the time of the accident. At approximately 5:50PM, Train 3681 departed Waban station, and passed signal H-64. Signal H-64 changed to display a single red aspect, to indicate that Train 3681 was directly ahead of it. Train 3681 then encountered a single red signal at H-66, and came to a stop. Per operating rules, Train 3681 held at signal H-66 for 1 minute, then began to operate past H-66 at a restricted speed, reaching a speed of 3.4 mph at the time of the accident. Train 3667 departed Waban station westbound behind Train 3681. Although the red signal at H-64 required Train 3667 to stop and hold for 1 minute, an MBTA employee on the rear of Train 3667 told the NTSB that the train never slowed down after departing Waban, and instead accelerated to the maximum authorized speed of 40 mph. Traveling at a speed of 38 mph, Train 3667 crashed into the rear of Train 3681. The front of the lead car of Train 3667 suffered extensive damage, crushing the operating cab. The operator of Train 3667, Terrese Edmonds, suffered blunt force trauma during the collision and was killed; 8 passengers were injured.

Investigation

Initially, operator error was blamed for the crash. As the investigation began, the crash was suspected to be caused by distraction of Edmonds, who allegedly was using a

cell phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This radio ...

while operating the train. However, the

(NTSB) ruled out distraction after it obtained Edmonds' cell phone records and determined that her cell phone was not in use at the time of the crash. Investigators also found that the

brakes A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...

had not been applied, and the tracks were not faulty. The NTSB determined that an episode of micro-sleep caused by

sleep apnea Sleep apnea (sleep apnoea or sleep apnœa in British English) is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which repetitive Apnea, pauses in breathing, periods of shallow breathing, or collapse of the upper airway during sleep results in poor vent ...

was likely the reason for the operator losing awareness of her environment. Edmonds was a relatively inexperienced operator who had tried for several years to get the job and was happy to have received it. The qualifications for the job included a high school diploma, a valid

driver's license A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, ca ...

, a background check, and seven weeks of training.

Aftermath

In 2009, the NTSB released its final report on the crash. About a year later, another crash on the same route was blamed on an operator

Notes

References

External links

911 calls at time of crash
{{coord, 42.3288, -71.2353, region:US-MA_type:event, display=title Massachusetts train collision Train collision Railway accidents and incidents in Massachusetts Accidents and incidents involving Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Newton, Massachusetts History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts Massachusetts train collision Green Line (MBTA)