View source for 2008 Chatsworth train collision

{{Short description|Collision in Los Angeles, California, U.S.}}
{{For|the 1887 train collision at Great Chatsworth, Illinois|1887 Great Chatsworth train wreck}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox public transit accident
| name                = 2008 Chatsworth train collision
<!-- Image          -->
| image               = Chatsworth train crash wikinews.jpg
| image_size          = 
| image_alt           = 
| caption             = Rescue workers in front of the Metrolink locomotive lying on its side after penetrating the lead passenger car (left)
<!-- Maps           -->
| image_map           = 
| image_map_alt       = 
| image_map_caption   = 
| pushpin_map         = 
| alternative_map     = 
| pushpin_map_alt     = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| mapframe            = 
| qid                 = 
| mapframe_zoom       = 
| coordinates         = 
<!-- Details        -->
| date                = {{start date and age|2008|09|12}}
| time                = 4:22:23 p.m. PDT (23:22:23 UTC)
| location            = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]
| location_dir        = 
| location_city       = 
| location_dist_km    = 
| location_dist_mi    = 
| country             = United States
| line                = [[Ventura County Line]]
| operator            = [[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]]<br/>[[Union Pacific Railroad]]
| owner               = 
| service             = 
| type                = Collision
| cause               = [[Signal passed at danger|Stop-signal overrun]] (SSO) due to [[Texting while driving|distraction from mobile phone use]]
<!-- Statistics     --> 
| bus                 = 
| trains              = Metrolink passenger train<br/>Union Pacific freight train
| vehicles            = 
| passengers          = 
| crew                = 
| pedestrians         = 
| deaths              = 25
| injuries            = 135
| damage              = More than [[US$]]7,100,500<ref name=FRA/>
| property            = 
<!-- Route map      -->
| route_map           = {{2008 Chatsworth train collision map}}
| route_map_state     = 
| route_map_name      = 
<!-- Footnotes      --> 
| footnotes           = 
}}

The '''2008 Chatsworth train collision''' occurred at 4:22:23&nbsp;p.m. [[Pacific Time Zone|PDT]] (23:22:23 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]) on September 12, 2008, when a [[Union Pacific Railroad]] [[freight train]] and a [[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]] [[commuter rail]] [[passenger train]] [[head-on collision|collided head-on]] in the [[Chatsworth, Los Angeles|Chatsworth]] neighborhood of [[Los Angeles]], California, United States.

The scene of the collision was a curved section of [[Single track (rail)|single track]] on the Metrolink [[Ventura County Line]] just east of [[Stoney Point (California)|Stoney Point]]. According to the [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB), which investigated the cause of the collision, the Metrolink train [[Signal passed at danger|ran through a red signal]] before entering a section of single track where the opposing freight train had been given the [[Right-of-way (property access)|right of way]] by the train dispatcher. The NTSB blamed the Metrolink train's [[Railroad engineer|engineer]], 46-year-old Robert M. Sanchez, for the collision, concluding that he was distracted by [[Text messaging|text messages]] he was sending while on duty. Sanchez was killed in the accident.

This [[mass casualty event]] brought a massive emergency response by both the city and [[Los Angeles County, California|county of Los Angeles]], but the nature and extent of [[physical trauma]] taxed the available resources. First responding officer Tom Gustafson described the wreck as “beyond human description”. Response included California Emergency Mobile Patrol Search and Rescue (CEMP) as a first responding unit requested by [[Los Angeles Police Department]] (LAPD). With 25 deaths, this was the deadliest collision in Metrolink's history. Many survivors remained hospitalized for an extended period.

Lawyers quickly began filing claims against Metrolink. The collision launched and reinvigorated public debate on a range of topics including [[public relations]], [[emergency management]], and safety, which has driven various regulatory and legislative actions, including the [[Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008]].

==Collision==
[[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]] commuter train #111, consisting of a {{convert|250000|lb|t|adj=on}} [[EMD F59PH]] locomotive (SCAX&nbsp;855) pulling three [[Bombardier BiLevel Coach]]es, departed [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] in [[downtown Los Angeles]] at 3:35&nbsp;p.m.&nbsp;PDT (22:35&nbsp;UTC)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2008/081001.html |title=Update: NTSB's Investigation of the Metrolink, Union Pacific Accident in California |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]] |date=October 1, 2008 |access-date=October 2, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081003221539/https://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2008/081001.html| archive-date= October 3, 2008 | url-status= dead}}</ref> heading westbound to [[Moorpark (Amtrak station)|Moorpark]] in suburban [[Ventura County, California|Ventura County]]. Approximately forty minutes later, it departed the [[Chatsworth station]] with 222 people aboard, and had traveled approximately {{convert|1.25|mi|0}} when it collided head-on with an eastbound [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]] local freight train.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://file.lacounty.gov/bos/supdocs/41082.pdf |title=Chatsworth train derailment – Los Angeles Country Operational Area after action report |publisher=[[Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office]] |date=April 13, 2009 |access-date=June 26, 2009}}</ref> The freight train was led by two [[EMD SD70 series|EMD SD70ACe]] locomotives, #8485 and #8491, and was pulling 17 freight cars.<ref name="NTSB">{{cite web |title=Collision of Metrolink Train 111 With Union Pacific Train LOF65 ‐ 12 Chatsworth, California September 12, 2008 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RAR1001.pdf |access-date=July 9, 2013 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]}}</ref> The Metrolink locomotive [[Telescoping (rail cars)|telescoped]] rearward into the passenger compartment of the first passenger car and caught fire.<ref name="kabc">{{Cite news |url=https://abc7.com/archive/6388256/ |title=Commuters killed in head-on train crash |access-date=September 12, 2008 |date=September 12, 2008 |publisher=[[KABC-TV]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521102637/http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=6388256 |archive-date=May 21, 2011 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> All three locomotives, the leading Metrolink passenger car, and ten freight cars were [[Derailment|derailed]], and both lead locomotives and the passenger car fell over.<ref name=NTSB/><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=6388275&photo=5 |title=Slideshow: Metrolink train crash |date=September 12, 2008 |access-date=September 12, 2008 |publisher=[[KABC-TV]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521102642/http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news%2Flocal%2Flos_angeles&id=6388275&photo=5 |archive-date=May 21, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The collision occurred after the Metrolink passenger train engineer, 46-year-old Robert M. Sanchez, [[Signal passed at danger|failed to obey a red stop signal]] that indicated it was not safe to proceed into the single track section.<ref name="SignOnSanDiego"/> The [[train dispatcher]]'s computer at a remote control center in [[Pomona, California|Pomona]] did not display a warning before the collision according to the NTSB.<ref name="KFI"/> Metrolink initially reported that the dispatcher tried in vain to contact the train crew to warn them;<ref name=Uranga>{{Cite news|url=http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_10459251 |title=How things went wrong in Metrolink train crash |work=[[Contra Costa Times]] |first=Rachel |last=Uranga |access-date=September 14, 2008 |date=September 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917222324/http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_10459251 |archive-date=September 17, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but the NTSB contradicted this report, saying the dispatcher noticed a problem only after the collision and was notified by the passenger train's [[Conductor (rail)|conductor]] first.<ref name=Taxin>{{Cite news|first=Amy |last=Taxin |url=http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/09/15/feds-hope-conductor-can-shed-light-deadly-crash |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204062611/http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/09/15/feds-hope-conductor-can-shed-light-deadly-crash |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 4, 2013 |title=Feds hope conductor can shed light on deadly crash |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[The Industry Standard]] |access-date=September 15, 2008 |date=September 15, 2008 }}</ref>

Both trains were moving toward each other at the time of the collision. At least one passenger on the Metrolink train reported seeing the freight train moments before impact, coming around the curve.<ref name="latimes"/> The conductor of the passenger train, who was in the rear car and was injured in the collision, estimated that his train was traveling at {{convert|40|mph}} before it suddenly came to a dead stop after the collision.<ref name="latimes"/> The NTSB reported that the passenger train was traveling at {{convert|42|mph}}.<ref name=Taxin/> The freight train was traveling at about the same speed after its engineer triggered the emergency [[Railway air brake|air brake]] only two seconds before impact, while the Metrolink engineer never applied the brakes on his train.<ref name=Nguyen2/>

===Location===
The collision occurred after the freight train emerged from the {{Convert|500|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}} tunnel #28, just south of [[California State Route 118]] near the intersection of Heather Lee Lane and Andora Avenue near [[Chatsworth Hills Academy]]. The collision was in [[Chatsworth, Los Angeles|Chatsworth]], a [[List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles|neighborhood of Los Angeles]] located at the northwestern edge of the [[San Fernando Valley]].<ref name="Los Angeles Business Journal">{{Cite news|url=http://www.labusinessjournal.com/article.asp?aID=759699502.7805576.1681407.5054153.8224803.833&aID2=129330 |title=Metrolink Train Collides with Freight Train in L.A. |work=[[Los Angeles Business Journal]] |access-date=September 12, 2008 |date=September 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919141516/http://www.labusinessjournal.com/article.asp?aID=759699502.7805576.1681407.5054153.8224803.833&aID2=129330 |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The trains collided on the Metrolink [[Ventura County Line]], part of the Montalvo Cutoff, opened by the [[Southern Pacific Company]] on March 20, 1904, to improve the alignment of its [[Coast Line (SP)|Coast Line]].<ref>{{Cite book|first=Donovan L. |last=Hofsommer |title=The Southern Pacific, 1901-1985 |year=1986 |publisher=[[Texas A&M University Press]] |pages=18 |isbn=0-89096-246-4 |oclc=246424321}}</ref> Metrolink has operated the line since purchasing it in the 1990s from [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] (now owned by Union Pacific), which retained [[Arrangements between railroads#Trackage rights|trackage rights]] for freight service.

===Railroad physical characteristics===
[[File:Photo of the Collision of Metrolink Train 111 With.Union Pacific Train LOF65‐12.Chatsworth, California.September 12, 2008 (33000403913).jpg|left|thumb|Close aerial view of the collision site.]]
Both trains were on the same section of single track that runs between the [[Chatsworth station]] (which is [[double track]]ed) through the [[Santa Susana Pass]]. The line returns to double track again as it enters the [[Simi Valley]].<ref name="Bottleneck Blog">{{Cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/2008/09/metrolink-a-sys.html |title=Metrolink: A system forged from freight lines |first=Steve |last=Hymon |work=Bottleneck Blog |publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 13, 2008 |access-date=September 13, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080916000821/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/2008/09/metrolink-a-sys.html| archive-date= September 16, 2008 | url-status= dead}}</ref> Three tunnels under the pass are only wide enough to support a single track, and it would be very costly to widen them.<ref name="Bottleneck Blog" /> This single-track section carries 24 passenger trains and 12 freight trains each day.<ref name="Hadly">{{Cite news|url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/sep/21/talk-of-rails-future-follows-deadly-crash/ |title=Talk of rail's future follows deadly crash |work=Ventura County Star |first=Scott |last=Hadly |access-date=September 21, 2008 |date=September 21, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922095443/http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/sep/21/talk-of-rails-future-follows-deadly-crash/ |archive-date=September 22, 2008 }}</ref>

The line's [[railway signaling]] system is designed to ensure that trains wait on the double-track section while a train is proceeding in the other direction on the single track. The signal system was upgraded in the 1990s to support Metrolink commuter rail services, and Richard Stanger, the executive director of Metrolink in its early years of 1991 to 1998, said the system had functioned without trouble in the past.<ref name="Bottleneck Blog"/> The Metrolink train would normally wait in the Chatsworth<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.local-movers.org/Moving/California/Los_Angeles_Movers.html| title=The Los Angeles Transportation project| publisher=Los Angeles Relocation Division| date=September 22, 2008| access-date=January 1, 2015| archive-date=January 1, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101214815/http://www.local-movers.org/Moving/California/Los_Angeles_Movers.html| url-status=dead}}</ref> station for the daily Union Pacific freight train to pass before proceeding,<ref name=AFP>{{Cite news |url=http://www.geo.tv/9-14-2008/24827.htm |title=Death toll rises to 23 in train crash near LA: governor |agency=Geo Television |publisher=GEO world |access-date=September 13, 2008 |date=September 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926010923/http://www.geo.tv/9-14-2008/24827.htm |archive-date=September 26, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Clerici/> unless the freight train was already waiting for it at Chatsworth.<ref name=Bermudez/> The location was not protected by [[catch points]].

==Timeline==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;margin:0 0 0.5em 1em;" cellpadding="2"
|+Metrolink train #111's [[Public transport timetable|timetable]]<ref name=Timetable>{{Cite web |url=http://www.metrolinktrains.com/schedules/html.php?id=481 |title=Ventura County Line |publisher=[[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]] |access-date=October 4, 2008 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|-
!Station
!Time
|-
| {{scax|L.A. Union Station}}||3:35&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| {{scax|Glendale}}||3:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| {{scax|Downtown Burbank}}||3:51&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| {{scax|Burbank Airport–South}}||3:55&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| {{scax|Van Nuys}}||4:02&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| {{scax|Northridge}}||4:09&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| {{scax|Chatsworth}}||4:16&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| {{scax|Simi Valley}}||4:28&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| {{scax|Moorpark}}||4:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|}

The events on September 12, 2008 leading up to the collision (all times local):<ref name=Doyle>{{Cite news |url=http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_10520015 |title=Early start, tragic ending for Metrolink engineer |first=Sue |last=Doyle |work=[[Contra Costa Times]] |access-date=September 21, 2008 |date=September 21, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925000329/http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_10520015 |archive-date=September 25, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="CNN.com">{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/01/train.crash.probe/ |title=Engineer sent text 22 seconds before fatal train crash |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=October 1, 2008 |date=October 1, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081003234411/http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/01/train.crash.probe/| archive-date= October 3, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
{|
|-
| '''5:54&nbsp;a.m.'''||||Engineer Sanchez begins his 11-hour [[split shift]].
|-
| '''6:44&nbsp;a.m.'''||||Sanchez begins his morning run.
|-
| '''8:53&nbsp;a.m.'''||||Sanchez finishes his morning run after exchanging 45 text messages while en route.
|-
| '''9:26&nbsp;a.m.'''||||Sanchez finishes the first part of his shift and goes off duty.
|-
| '''2:00&nbsp;p.m.'''||||Sanchez returns to work after reportedly taking a two-hour nap.
|-
| '''3:03&nbsp;p.m.'''||||Sanchez begins his afternoon run.
|-
| '''3:30&nbsp;p.m.'''||||Sanchez uses his cell phone to order a roast beef sandwich from a restaurant in Moorpark.
|-
| '''3:35&nbsp;p.m.'''||||Metrolink train #111 departs Union Station with Sanchez at the controls of locomotive #855.
|-
| '''4:13&nbsp;p.m.'''||||The signal north of the Chatsworth station is set to red to hold the Metrolink train.
|-
| '''4:16&nbsp;p.m.'''||||Train #111 is scheduled to depart Chatsworth station with the next stop in Simi Valley. After departing, Sanchez runs through a track switch, but does not apply brakes.  
|-
| '''4:21:03&nbsp;p.m.'''||||Sanchez receives a seventh text message while en route.
|-
| '''4:22:01&nbsp;p.m.'''||||Sanchez sends the last of five text messages while en route, 22 seconds before impact.
|-
| '''4:22:19&nbsp;p.m.'''||||The locomotive crews can first see each other, 4 seconds before impact.
|-
| '''4:22:21&nbsp;p.m.'''||||The Union Pacific freight engineer triggers the emergency brake, 2 seconds before impact.
|-
| '''4:22:23&nbsp;p.m.'''||||The trains collide.  
|}

==Aftermath==

=== Emergency response ===
The [[Los Angeles Fire Department]] (LAFD) initially dispatched a "physical rescue" assignment at a residential address near the scene in response to a [[9-1-1]] emergency call from the home.<ref name=Lopez/> The crew arrived at the address four minutes later, just before 4:30&nbsp;p.m. PDT and accessed the scene by cutting through the backyard fence.<ref name=Lopez/> Upon arrival, the captain on the scene immediately called for an additional five ambulances, then 30 fire engines, and after reaching the wreck he called for every heavy search and rescue unit in the city.<ref name=Lopez>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-rescue14-2008sep14,0,7989801.story |title=Heroism and reality collide for rescuers at train crash site |author1=Lopez, Robert J. |author2=Therolf, Garrett |author3=Gold, Scott |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=September 15, 2008 |date=September 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917032602/http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-rescue14-2008sep14%2C0%2C7989801.story |archive-date=September 17, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Hundreds of emergency workers were eventually involved in the rescue and recovery efforts,<ref name=Lopez/> including 250 firefighters.<ref name=Suter>{{Cite news |first=Leanne |last=Suter |url=https://abc7.com/archive/6391967/ |title=Investigation continues into deadly Metrolink crash that killed 25 in Chatsworth, Calif. |publisher=[[KABC-TV]] |access-date=September 15, 2008 |date=September 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521102241/http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=6391967 |archive-date=May 21, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two Los Angeles city firefighters received medals for risking their lives to enter a confined space with smoky and potentially toxic air, without their air bottles, to rescue one of the freight train crew members. LAPD Devonshire Division patrol officers arrived on scene shortly after the first LAFD Engine Company. As firefighters were putting out the flames of the burning diesel fuel that had spilled out of the freight engine, patrol officers entered the damaged, smoke-filled train cars to rescue/administer first aid to several passengers who were stranded on the upper decks due to their critical injuries. Two police officers received medals, and two others received commendations and were credited with potentially saving the lives of several injured passengers.

The event was operationally identified as the "Chatsworth Incident" and was reclassified as a "[[mass casualty incident]]". All six of LAFD's [[air ambulance]]s were mobilized, along with six additional [[helicopter]]s from the [[Los Angeles County Fire Department]] and the [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department]]. The helicopters were requested under a [[Mutual aid (emergency services)|mutual aid]] arrangement.<ref name=HAI>{{Cite news|url=http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?tabid=510&newsid905=59645 |title=Los Angeles Public Safety Helicopter Operators Assist in Train Crash |work=Rotornews |publisher=[[Helicopter Association International]] |date=September 15, 2008 |access-date=September 15, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080919004901/http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?tabid=510&newsid905=59645| archive-date= September 19, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
A review of the emergency response and the on-site and hospital care was initiated by Los Angeles County Supervisor [[Don Knabe]] immediately after the event, and was expected to take 90 days to complete.<ref name=Walton>{{Cite news|url=http://www.laindependent.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=4134&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1014&hn=laindependent&he=.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928033416/http://laindependent.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=4134&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1014&hn=laindependent&he=.com |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 28, 2008 |first=Alice |last=Walton |title=Local Officials Support Railroad Safety Measures |work=The Los Angeles Independent |access-date=September 28, 2008 |date=September 18, 2008 }}</ref>

===Casualties===
[[Image:Chatsworth train collision 2854151852 ff2c5ccab5 o.jpg|thumb|400px|Recovery workers stand near the rear of the Metrolink locomotive after it was removed from the lead passenger car, where most of the serious injuries and deaths occurred.]]

A total of 25 people died in the collision,<ref name=Hadly/> including engineer Sanchez and two victims who died at hospitals in the days following the crash.<ref>{{Cite news|author1=Landsberg, Mitchell |author2=Rivera, Carla |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-schools16-2008sep16,0,7050274.story |title=Schools grieve over losses in Metrolink crash |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 16, 2008 |access-date=September 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919033132/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-schools16-2008sep16%2C0%2C7050274.story |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Tribune death toll">{{Cite news |last=Oldham |first=Jennifer |last2=Hymon |first2=Steve |last3=Simmons |first3=Ann M. |name-list-style=and |date=September 16, 2008 |title=L.A. train crash death toll at 26 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-train_tuesep16,0,3604846.story |url-status=dead |access-date=September 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918223748/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-train_tuesep16%2C0%2C3604846.story |archive-date=September 18, 2008}}</ref> This event is the deadliest railway collision in Metrolink's history, and the worst in the United States since the [[Big Bayou Canot train disaster]] in 1993.<ref name=Steinhauer/>

A total of 135 others were reported injured, 46 of them critically,<ref name="kabc"/> with 85 of the injured transported to 13 hospitals and two transported themselves.<ref name=Abram>{{Cite news|url=http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_10503991 |title=Closest hospitals the last to treat |work=[[Contra Costa Times]] |access-date=September 19, 2008 |date=September 19, 2008 |first=Susan |last=Abram |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211122908/http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_10503991 |archive-date=February 11, 2012 }}</ref> Air ambulance helicopters [[Medical evacuation|medevaced]] 40 patients. LAFD Captain Steve Ruda reported that the high number of critically injured passengers taxed the area's emergency response capabilities, and patients were distributed to all 12 [[trauma center]]s in [[Los Angeles County]].<ref name=AFP/> [[Providence Holy Cross Medical Center]] in [[Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California|Mission Hills]] treated 17 patients, more than any other hospital.<ref name=Abram/>

Captain Ruda said his firefighters had never seen such carnage.<ref name=AFP/> Austin Walbridge, a train passenger, told a TV news reporter that the interior of the train was "bloody, a mess. Just a disaster. It was horrible."<ref name=AFP/> [[Emergency service|Emergency responders]] described the victims as having crush-type injuries. Dr. Amal K. Obaid, a [[Trauma surgery|trauma surgeon]] who practices at [[Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center|USC University Hospital]] where several victims were treated, described their injuries in more detail, "They have [[head injury|head injuries]], multiple [[Facial trauma|facial fractures]], [[chest trauma]], [[Pneumothorax|collapsed lungs]], [[rib fracture]]s, [[pelvic fracture]]s, [[Bone fracture|leg and arm fractures]], [[Wound|cuts in the skin]] and [[soft tissue]]. Some have [[Intracranial pressure|blood in the brain]]."<ref name=Steinhauer>{{Cite news|author1=Steinhauer, Jennifer |author2=Cieply, Michael |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/14crash.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&hp&oref=slogin |title=Rail Line Says Train Ran Signal; Death Toll at 25 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=September 14, 2008 |date=September 14, 2008 |page=A1| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140812224257/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/14crash.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&hp&oref=slogin| archive-date=August 12, 2014| url-status= live}}</ref>

The [[Los Angeles County Coroner]] set up an air-conditioned tent that functioned as a temporary [[morgue]] at the site. One off-duty [[Los Angeles Police Department]] officer was among the confirmed deaths, as was the Metrolink train's engineer,<ref name="latimes">{{Cite news|author1=Gold, Scott |author2=Pierson, David |author3=Winton, Richard |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traincrash13-2008sep13,0,2874450.story |title=At least 15 reported dead as Metrolink cars crash into freight train |date=September 12, 2008 |access-date=September 12, 2008 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915035949/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traincrash13-2008sep13%2C0%2C2874450.story |archive-date=September 15, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> an employee of [[Veolia Transport]], a contracted operator of Metrolink.<ref name=Clerici/><ref name=Landsberg>{{Cite news|author1=Landsberg, Mitchell |author2=Rubin, Joel |author3=Therolf, Garrett |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 13, 2008 |access-date=September 13, 2008 |title=Metrolink train crash: 18th victim found in rubble in Chatsworth |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traincrash14-2008sep14,0,3660884.story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915003807/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traincrash14-2008sep14%2C0%2C3660884.story |archive-date=September 15, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>
One of the passengers who died was a survivor of the [[2005 Glendale train crash]].<ref name=KTLA2>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-traincrash-sg-storygallery.html |title=Survivor of 2005 Metrolink Crash Dies in Chatsworth Disaster |publisher=[[KTLA]] |access-date=September 16, 2008|date=September 16, 2008}}</ref>
Another had been commuting by train since Metrolink's inception in 1992.<ref name=Rogers/>
Many victims were residents of suburban Simi Valley and Moorpark on their way home from work in the Los Angeles area.<ref name=Clerici>{{Cite news|first=Kevin |last=Clerici |url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/sep/14/Na1fcTrainCrash14/ |title=Metrolink takes full blame |work=Ventura County Star |access-date=September 14, 2008 |date=September 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916084836/http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/sep/14/Na1fcTrainCrash14/ |archive-date=September 16, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The four other crew members of the two trains survived.<ref name="Bermudez">{{Cite news |last=Bermudez |first=Esmeralda |last2=Linthicum |first2=Kate |last3=Connell |first3=Rich |name-list-style=and |date=September 13, 2008 |title=Metrolink says its engineer failed to heed signal in Chatsworth train crash |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traincrash14-2008sep14,0,3660884.story |url-status=live |access-date=September 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915003807/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traincrash14-2008sep14%2C0%2C3660884.story |archive-date=September 15, 2008}}</ref>
The conductor and engineer of the freight train were trapped inside the lead locomotive while it was engulfed in flames; the firefighters who rescued the pair found them banging on the thick glass [[windshield]], unable to escape.<ref name=Rogers>{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5847428 |first=John |last=Rogers |title=Rail Collision Altered Lives in and Outside Train |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=September 20, 2008 |access-date=September 27, 2008}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The freight crew also had a [[brakeman]] riding in the second locomotive who was injured in the crash.<ref name=Dillon>{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5898360 |title=Freight Brakeman in Deadly LA Train Collision Sues |first=Raquel Maria |last=Dillon |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=September 27, 2008 |date=September 27, 2008}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

The [[Search and rescue|search for victims]] came to an end shortly after 14:30 PDT on September 13, approximately 22 hours after the collision.<ref name= Bermudez/>

===Service disruptions===
The crash disrupted service on the ''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'' and the ''[[Coast Starlight]]''. [[Amtrak]] canceled service on the ''Pacific Surfliner'' between [[San Luis Obispo station|San Luis Obispo]] and Union Station in Los Angeles and [[Amtrak Thruway]] buses transported ''Coast Starlight'' passengers from Union Station to [[Santa Barbara station|Santa Barbara]] to board the trains. Metrolink service on the Ventura County Line was interrupted north of Chatsworth,<ref name=Clerici/> and all service resumed four days after the crash.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=23676 |title=Amtrak resumes full Central Coast service |work=Times Press Recorder |publisher=[[Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers]] |date=September 17, 2008 |access-date=October 2, 2008 |archive-date=August 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822004616/https://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=23676 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Investigation===

==== Preliminary investigation controversy ====
Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell disclosed the day after the crash that a preliminary investigation of dispatch records and computers showed the engineer of the Metrolink passenger train failed to stop his train for a red [[railway signal]], which indicated his train did not have authority to proceed on the main track . She was quoted as saying, "We don't know how the error happened, but this is what we believe happened. We believe it was our engineer who failed to stop at the signal."<ref name="SignOnSanDiego">{{Cite news|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20080913-1204-ca-traincollision.html |title=Metrolink: Commuter train engineer failed to stop |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |first=Gillian |last=Flaccus |date=September 13, 2008 |access-date=September 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916101218/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20080913-1204-ca-traincollision.html |archive-date=September 16, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Tyrrell said that if the engineer had obeyed the signal, the crash would not have occurred. However [[Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors|Los Angeles County Supervisor]] and Metrolink board member Don Knabe said it was premature to blame the engineer, speculating that "there could always be a technical malfunction where&nbsp;... there was [[Wrong-side failure|a green light both ways]]."<ref name=Blood>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_Train_Collision_Cause_358681C.shtml |title='Rush to judgment' in deadly LA rail crash? |last=Blood |first=Michael R. |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[The Press-Enterprise (California)|The Press-Enterprise]] |location=[[Riverside, California]] |date=September 13, 2008 |access-date=September 13, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

After a Metrolink board meeting two days after her remarks, Tyrrell resigned.<ref name="Daily Breeze News">{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20080915/metrolink-spokesperson-quits-over-dispute |title=spokeswoman quits after dispute with board over how facts made public |publisher=Daily Breeze News |access-date=September 14, 2008 |date=September 15, 2008}}</ref> Tyrrell stated that she quit because a Metrolink Board statement called her announcement premature<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/metrolink-tyrrell-today-2157752-facts-early |title=Metrolink spokeswoman resigns |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[The Orange County Register]] |access-date=September 15, 2008 |date=September 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920031231/http://www.ocregister.com/articles/metrolink-tyrrell-today-2157752-facts-early |archive-date=September 20, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and inappropriate; she maintained that it was proper to get out in front of the story before the NTSB took over the investigation.<ref name= Sahagun/> She stated that she asked for and received authorization to make the comments from David Solow, Metrolink's chief executive. Solow confirmed that he did give authorization, but said that, in hindsight, he should not have given permission. After her resignation, some [[good government]] proponents praised Tyrrell for her candor, including the chief public advocate with [[Common Cause|California Common Cause]].<ref name="Sahagun">{{Cite news |author1=Louis, Sahagun |author2=Williams, Carol J. |name-list-style=and |date=September 16, 2008 |title=Metrolink spokeswoman resigns amid criticism over blaming engineer for crash |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tyrrell16-2008sep16,0,3466670,full.story |url-status=dead |access-date=September 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919050937/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tyrrell16-2008sep16%2C0%2C3466670%2Cfull.story |archive-date=September 19, 2008}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' also published an editorial by columnist [[Patt Morrison]] sympathetic to Tyrrell's position, in which she says, "I am unclear of the concept of how the truth can somehow be premature. The truth is the truth."<ref name=Morrison>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-morrison18-2008sep18,0,3736930.column |title=Honesty in the L.A. Metrolink crash |first=Patt |last=Morrison |author-link=Patt Morrison |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 18, 2008 |access-date=September 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925080507/http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-morrison18-2008sep18%2C0%2C3736930.column |archive-date=September 25, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Official investigation====
The NTSB led the official investigation to determine the probable cause, but NTSB officials had not commented on the crash prior to the Metrolink statement. In a subsequent press conference at the scene two hours after Tyrrell's comments, an NTSB official cautioned that the cause of the collision was still under investigation. The NTSB studied the data from the [[train event recorder]]s, which had been recovered by NTSB investigators working at the scene. The Metrolink train had two data recorders, one badly damaged, and the freight train had a data and a video recorder.<ref name=Clerici/> The NTSB said it would collect other evidence and interview witnesses to try to officially report within a year's time why the crash occurred.

Tests of the railway signal system after the collision showed it was working properly,<ref name=Nguyen2/> and should have shown proper signal indications to the Metrolink train, with two yellow signals as the train approached the Chatsworth station, and a red signal at the switch north of the station.<ref name="Hennessy-Fiske">{{Cite news |last=Hennessy-Fiske |first=Molly |author2=Connell, Rich |author3=Lopez, Robert J. |name-list-style=and |date=October 4, 2008 |title=Witnesses say light was green just before Metrolink train crashed |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traincrash4-2008oct04,0,1252160.story |access-date=October 4, 2008}}</ref> "We can say with confidence that the signal system was working," the lead NTSB board member stated at a news conference after the tests.<ref name=Hennessy-Fiske/> This focused the NTSB investigation on [[human factors]].<ref name=Nguyen2/>

Before releasing the collision scene and allowing restoration of service, the NTSB also conducted a final [[Stopping sight distance|sight distance]] test. An identical Metrolink train and pair of Union Pacific locomotives were brought together at the point of impact and slowly backed away from each other. The test showed that the trains' engineers could not see each other until less than five seconds before the collision.<ref name=Nguyen2/>

The surviving crew members could not be interviewed by the NTSB immediately after the collision because they were still recovering from their injuries.<ref name="KFI">{{Cite news |url=http://kfiam640.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=153218&article=4240672 |title=NTSB: Engineer Ignored Signal To Stop : Electronic displays at a train dispatch center in Pomona showed no warnings or indications something had gone wrong until after the collision. |publisher=[[KFI|KFI News]] |access-date=September 15, 2008 |date=September 15, 2008 |first=Eric |last=Leonard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026081833/http://kfiam640.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=153218 |archive-date=October 26, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The NTSB was able to interview the Metrolink conductor about recorded radio communications, which did not capture the required communication between the conductor and engineer on the aspects displayed by the last two signals the train passed before the collision.<ref name=Taxin/> He confirmed they did not call out the last two signals.<ref name=Nguyen2/>

The NTSB also stated that a [[railroad switch]] showed evidence of damage consistent with the Metrolink passenger train "running through" the trailing switch points while they were set to allow the freight train to proceed onto the adjacent track, forcing them out of the way.<ref name=Clerici/> "The switch bars were bent like a banana. It should be perfectly straight," according to the NTSB official.<ref name=Taxin/> The NTSB member in charge of the investigative team said they were also concerned with possible fatigue issues related to the engineer's [[split shift]].<ref name=Nguyen2>{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5819947 |title=NTSB: Train Engineer Didn't Brake Before Collision |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |first=Daisy |last=Nguyen |date=September 17, 2008 |access-date=September 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919211602/http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5819947 |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The engineer worked an 11.5-hour shift split with a 3.5-hour break, leaving only nine hours away from work between workdays.<ref name=Nguyen2/>

The [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (FRA) is also investigating to determine if any federal safety regulations were violated. The [[California Public Utilities Commission]], the state agency responsible for regulating railroads, also reported that it has ten investigators with railroad experience working in conjunction with the NTSB, and will also be looking into the matter of the Tyrrell resignation.<ref name=Bottleneck2>{{Cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/2008/09/state-cell-phon.html |title=State: cellphone use by engineers should be banned |work=Bottleneck Blog | publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Steve |last=Hymon| date=September 15, 2008 |access-date=September 15, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080924085707/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/2008/09/state-cell-phon.html| archive-date= September 24, 2008 | url-status= dead}}</ref>

====Possible false green====
Before the conclusion of the formal investigation, three witnesses came forward to say that they observed the signal to be green as the Metrolink train departed the Chatsworth station just before the collision.<ref name=Hennessy-Fiske/> A newspaper reporter interviewed the witnesses at the station, and confirmed that the signal was visible from the station, and that the witnesses could correctly identify the colors displayed.<ref name=Hennessy-Fiske/> A safety consultant said that although this type of signal failure is extremely rare, he had seen it twice before in his 13-year career as a locomotive engineer.<ref name=Hennessy-Fiske/> The NTSB considered the eyewitnesses' accounts and, based on the results of its tests of the signal system and on the distance between the witnesses and the signal, rejected them as "contrary to the other evidence".<ref name="NTSB2">{{Cite journal |date=January 21, 2010 |title=Railroad Accident Report: Collision of Metrolink Train 111 with Union Pacific Train LOF65–12 Chatsworth, California, September 12, 2008 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RAR1001.pdf |journal= |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]] |id=Railroad Accident Report NTSB/RAR-10/01 |access-date=September 25, 2010}}</ref>

====Text messaging====
[[Image:KCAL chatsworth train collision text message.jpg|thumb|[[KCAL-TV]] news showed a text message allegedly sent by the Metrolink train's engineer 22 seconds before the crash.]]
Local television news broke the story that the Metrolink engineer was exchanging brief [[Text messaging|text messages]] with a 16-year-old [[railfan]] while operating the train,<ref name=Archibold>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/us/15crash.html |title=Warning System Could Prevent Train Crashes |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Randal C. |last=Archibold |date=September 14, 2008 |access-date=September 16, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081209073707/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/us/15crash.html| archive-date=December 9, 2008| url-status= live}}</ref> a violation of Metrolink rules according to the agency.<ref name=Nguyen>{{Cite news|url=http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/96805.php |title=NTSB tests visibility at site of LA train crash |first=Daisy |last=Nguyen |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[Tucson Citizen]] |date=September 16, 2008 |access-date=September 16, 2008}}</ref> The last message received from the engineer, time-stamped at 4:22:01, 22 seconds before the collision,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ktla.com/pages/content_landing_page/?Metrolink-Engineer-May-Have-Sent-Text-Me=1&blockID=56225&feedID=1198 |title=Report: Metrolink Engineer May Have Been Text Messaging |publisher=[[KTLA]] |date=September 13, 2008 |access-date=September 13, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="cbs2.com">{{Cite news|url=http://cbs2.com/local/Metrolink.Engineer.Deadly.2.817045.html |title=EXCLUSIVE: Engineer In Deadly Metrolink Crash Sent Text Message Just Before Collision |publisher=[[KCAL-TV]] |access-date=September 13, 2008 |date=September 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917001330/http://cbs2.com/local/Metrolink.Engineer.Deadly.2.817045.html |archive-date=September 17, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> reportedly said, "yea&nbsp;... usually&nbsp;@ north camarillo," referencing [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]], a town farther down the line, where the engineer expected to meet another train.<ref name=Archibold/>

The NTSB did not recover the engineer's cellphone in the wreckage and said the teenagers were cooperating with the investigation,<ref name=Archibold/> initially noting that similar rumors about an engineer using a cell phone from an investigation [[2008 Massachusetts train collision|recently conducted in Boston]] were unfounded.<ref name=Steinhauer/> After receiving the engineer's cell phone records under subpoena, the NTSB confirmed that the engineer was texting while on duty, but had not yet correlated the messages with the collision timeline.<ref name= Winter/> After completing a preliminary timeline, the NTSB placed the last text message sent by the engineer at 22 seconds before impact.<ref name="CNN.com"/>

An NTSB representative refused to comment further on the preliminary timeline, which investigators were still refining.<ref name=Lopez2>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-crash2-2008oct02,0,4888640.story |title=Metrolink engineer sent text message moments before fatal crash |author1=Connell, Rich |author2=Hymon, Steve |author3=Lopez, Robert J. |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=October 4, 2008 |date=October 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004034407/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-crash2-2008oct02%2C0%2C4888640.story |archive-date=October 4, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two [[University of Southern California]] academics used the information in the NTSB statement to determine that the last text message sent by the Metrolink train's engineer would have been sent a few seconds after he had passed the last red signal.<ref name=Lopez2/> This would make [[unconsciousness]] an unlikely cause for this error, since the engineer was able to compose and send the message; instead a psychology professor from the [[University of Utah]] raised the possibility that "[[inattentional blindness]]" caused the engineer to fail to see the signal.<ref name=Lopez2/>

The day after the NTSB confirmed the engineer was texting, and less than one week after the collision, the [[California Public Utilities Commission]] unanimously passed an emergency order to temporarily ban the use of cellular communication devices by train crew members, citing this collision and a previous [[San Francisco Municipal Railway]] collision where the train operator was using a cell phone.<ref name=Winter>{{Cite news|url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/09/calif-temporari.html |title=Calif. temporarily bans train crews from using cellphones |work=[[USA Today]] |first=Michael |last=Winter |access-date=September 18, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919150946/http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/09/calif-temporari.html |archive-date=September 19, 2008 }}</ref>
A week later, [[texting while driving]] an automobile was outlawed in California, effective January 1, 2009.<ref name=Vogel>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-arnold25-2008sep25,1,3722911.story |title=Schwarzenegger outlaws text-messaging while driving |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Nancy |last=Vogel |access-date=September 25, 2008 |date=September 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926090839/http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-arnold25-2008sep25%2C1%2C3722911.story |archive-date=September 26, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

There was no federal regulation prohibiting cell phone use by train crews at the time of the collision, but the NTSB had recommended the Federal Railroad Administration address the issue in 2003, after concluding cell phone use by a freight train engineer contributed to a fatal head-on train collision in [[Texas]] in [[List of rail accidents (2000–2009)#2002|2002]].<ref name=Nguyen/> However, 19 days after the collision the FRA administrator issued Emergency Order No. 26 restricting the use of "personal electronic or electrical devices" by railroad operating employees.<ref name=FRA>{{Cite news|url=http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/EmergencyOrder26.pdf |title=FRA Emergency Order No. 26, Notice No. 1: Emergency Order to Restrict On-Duty Railroad Operating Employees' Use of Cellular Telephones and Other Distracting Electronic and Electrical Devises |publisher=[[Federal Railroad Administration]] |access-date=October 2, 2008 |date=October 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028210416/http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/EmergencyOrder26.pdf |archive-date=October 28, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Keane>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=awkIqFiMJm64&refer=us |title=U.S. Regulator Bans Mobile-Phone Use by Rail Crews |first=Angela Greiling |last=Keane |publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg News]] |access-date=October 2, 2008 |date=October 2, 2008}}</ref>

On March 3, 2009, federal investigators released records showing that the train engineer Robert M. Sanchez had allowed a train enthusiast to ride in the cab several days before the crash, and that he was planning to let him run the train between four stations on the evening of the crash. "I'm gonna do all the radio talkin'&nbsp;... ur gonna run the locomotive&nbsp;& I'm gonna tell u how to do it," Sanchez wrote in one text.<ref name="fox0303">{{Cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,504127,00.html |title=Engineer in Deadly L.A. Train Crash Let Others Sit at Controls |publisher=[[Fox News Channel|Fox News]] |date=March 3, 2009 |access-date=March 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303211246/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C504127%2C00.html |archive-date=March 3, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Records also show Sanchez had received two prior warnings from his supervisors about improper use of cellphones while in the control cab.<ref name="LAT0303">{{Cite news|author1=Connell, Rich |author2=Weikel, Dan |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/03/the-signal-syst.html |title=Federal hearing: Metrolink engineer warned twice about cell use |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=March 3, 2009 |access-date=March 3, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090306135622/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/03/the-signal-syst.html| archive-date= March 6, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

====Conductor's role====
The operating rules for trains with a single engineer is that all signals are to be reported to the conductor. This allows the conductor to '[[Pulled tail|''pull the air'']]' (apply the emergency brakes) should the engineer appear to be incapacitated for any reason. However, in this incident, according to the data video, the last two signals were not reported, nor did the conductor apply the brakes.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jackson |first=Christopher |date=October 2008 |title=Another tragedy on the tracks |journal=[[Railway Gazette International]] |volume=164 |issue=10 |pages=755}}</ref>

Unusually, the conductor told the engineer that the starting signal was green, rather than the other way around.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2010/01/21/deadly-metrolink-chatsworth-crash-investigations-coming-close_201001213080.html| title = Deadly Chatsworth Metrolink crash investigations coming to a close - JusticeNewsFlash.com}}</ref>

====NTSB's conclusions and recommendations====
On January 21, 2010, the NTSB issued a press release announcing its conclusions from the investigation into the collision. In the report, the NTSB concluded that the cause of the crash was most likely the result of the Metrolink engineer's use of text messaging while on duty, which led to the train [[signal passed at danger|passing a signal at danger]] and traveling into the path of the oncoming Union Pacific freight train. In addition, the Board cited the lack of [[positive train control]] on the Metrolink train as a contributing factor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Collision of Metrolink Train 111 with Union Pacific Train LOF65-12|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/RAR1001.aspx|website=ntsb.gov|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> The investigation has led the NTSB to recommend that the federal government require the installation of video and audio recording equipment in all locomotive and train operating cabs, and to reiterate its calls for positive train control, which had been on the Board's Wanted List since 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=Forum : Positive Train Control Systems|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/Pages/2013_Train-Control_FRM.aspx|website=ntsb.gov|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref>

===Positive train control===
[[Positive train control]] (PTC) is a system of functional requirements for monitoring and controlling train movements and is a type of train protection system.<ref>"Positive Train Control | Federal Railroad Administration". www.fra.dot.gov. Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 12, 2018.</ref> Attention was focused almost immediately about the lack of PTC on equipment involved in the Chatsworth collision; Federal Railroad Administrator [[Joseph H. Boardman]] told a reporter days after the crash that PTC "would have stopped the train before there was a collision".<ref name=Clerici2>{{Cite news|url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/sep/16/tragedy-of-metrolink-train-111-looking-ahead-to/ |title=Officials push plan to avoid rail collisions |first=Kevin |last=Clerici |access-date=September 20, 2008 |date=September 16, 2008 |work=Ventura County Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919165519/http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/sep/16/tragedy-of-metrolink-train-111-looking-ahead-to/ |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member leading the investigation also said she was convinced that such a system "would have prevented this accident".<ref name=Clerici2/>

In 2008, Congress passed the [[Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008]] in direct response to the collision. It required Class I Railroad mainlines with regularly scheduled intercity and commuter rail passenger service to fully implement PTC by December 31, 2015.<ref name="FRA1">[https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0621 Positive Train Control]. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration</ref> By 2015, few railroads were anywhere close to implementing PTC and asked for an extension; the deadline was extended to December 31, 2018, with a provision extending compliance to December 31, 2020 if railroads submit plans for doing the work by December 31, 2018.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Liang|first1=Keith|title=Lawmakers agree to extend automated train deadline by 3 years|url=https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/257566-agreement-reached-on-automated-train-extension/|website=thehill.com|date=October 21, 2015|publisher=The Hill|access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> The failure to implement PTC earlier was cited by the Board as a contributing factor in the [[2015 Philadelphia train derailment]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Derailment of Amtrak Passenger Train 188|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/RAR1602.aspx|website=ntsb.gov|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref>

Metrolink was the first commuter system to deploy the technology, and it is currently fully active on 341 miles of trackage owned by Metrolink. Regarding the other 171 miles of Metrolink track that are owned by freight lines BNSF and UPRR, the agency states as of 2017 that they are "working towards PTC interoperability".<ref>{{cite web|title=An Introduction to Positive Train Control (PTC)|url=https://www.metrolinktrains.com/rider-info/safety--security/positive-train-control/|website=Metrolink.com|access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref>

===Litigation===

As the result of a provision in the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997 ({{USPL|105|134}}),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/arc/arcact.pdf |title=Public Law 105–134 — Dec. 2, 1997: Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997 |date=July 1, 1998 |access-date=October 15, 2008 |publisher=[[University of North Texas|University of North Texas Libraries]] (a [[federal depository library]] of the [[United States Government Printing Office]])| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081028210415/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/arc/arcact.pdf| archive-date= October 28, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> there is a [[United States dollar|US$]]200 million cap on the aggregate of all passengers' damage claims in a railroad crash against a passenger railroad, including punitive damages. In dividing the $200 million among the 25 dead and more than 100 injured in the Chatsworth case, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter D. Lichtman, who characterized the awards as "judicial triage", stated victims were undercompensated by at least $64 million, admitting that awards were unlikely to cover future medical expenses.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Holt|first1=Jim|title=Crash settled: Judge says $200M settlement from 2008 Metrolink crash equivalent of 'judicial triage'|url=http://archive.signalscv.com/archives/48011/|website=signalscv.com|publisher=The Santa Clara Valley Signal|access-date=March 27, 2018|archive-date=March 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327212226/http://archive.signalscv.com/archives/48011/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Memorials===
{{Quote box
| quote  = {{center|<poem>
Unfinished Journeys
In memory of those who have died
With empathy for those affected
In gratitude to those who responded and rescued</poem>}}
| source = —Union Station memorial plaque
}}

Following the collision a temporary, spontaneous memorial of flowers and notes was erected at the [[Simi Valley station|Simi Valley Amtrak/Metrolink Station]].<ref>{{Cite news|author1=Chawkins, Steve |author2=Saillant, Catherine |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-simi14-2008sep14,0,6807549.story |title=In grieving Simi Valley, tragedy touches many |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 14, 2008 |access-date=September 20, 2009}}</ref> On September 8, 2009, the first permanent memorial, a plaque, was placed in [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]].<ref>{{Cite news|first=Ruben |last=Vives |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-metrolink9-2009sep09,0,6459390.story |title=Metrolink unveils plaque honoring train crash victims |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=September 9, 2009 |access-date=September 20, 2009}}</ref> The Metrolink Memorial Plaza was dedicated on September 12, 2009 at the Simi Valley station. The plaza features 11 columns, one each for the ten deceased passengers from Simi Valley and an additional one for the 14 other deceased victims. There are also 25 markers on the grounds to commemorate each victim as well as a seating area and a plaque in remembrance to the [[2005 Glendale train crash]].<ref>{{Cite news|first=Michele |last=Willer-Allred |url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/sep/13/solemn-ceremony-dedicates-simi-valley-memorial/ |title=Solemn ceremony held in remembrance of Metrolink train crash victims |work=Ventura County Star |date=September 13, 2009 |access-date=September 20, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923202205/http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/sep/13/solemn-ceremony-dedicates-simi-valley-memorial/ |archive-date=September 23, 2009 }}</ref> Two days later, on the first anniversary of the crash a memorial ceremony was held at Stony Point Park, near the location of the collision.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Esmeralda |last=Bermudez |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-metrolink-memorial13-2009sep13,0,4955582.story |title=Ceremonies commemorate Metrolink crash victims |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 13, 2009 |access-date=September 20, 2009}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Los Angeles|Trains}}
*[[Bad Aibling rail accident]], 2016 collision in Germany caused by the dispatcher becoming distracted by a game on his cell phone.
*[[Kirkby train crash]], 2021 crash in the United Kingdom in which the train driver was prosecuted for using his cell phone whilst driving.
*[[List of American railroad accidents]]
*[[List of rail accidents (2000–2009)]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikinews|Los Angeles commuter train collides with freight train; over two dozen killed | Witnesses: Doomed train had green light}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080919045107/http://www.knx1070.com/METROLINK-ENGINEER-REPORTED-TO-BE-TEXTING-BEFORE-C/2959296 Audio and video from KNX 1070 AM]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081028210416/http://www.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2008-09/42434650.pdf Brief Overview of the Head-On Collision Between Metrolink Train 111 and a Union Pacific Freight Train, September 12, 2008, California Public Utilities Commission]
*[http://projects.latimes.com/metrolink-crash/ List of victims from the ''Los Angeles Times'']
*[https://www.latimes.com/la-me-traincrash-sg,0,2057763.storygallery ''Los Angeles Times'' full coverage page]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120923032650/http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news%2Flocal%2Flos_angeles&id=6388275&photo=1 Gallery from KABC-TV]
*[https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traincrash13-pg,0,286376.photogallery Gallery from the ''Los Angeles Times'']
*[http://tcattorney.typepad.com/photos/metrolinktrainaccidentpho/ Gallery from Traverse Legal, PLC]
*[https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RAR1001.pdf NTSB report]
{{Coord|34|16|19|N|118|36|5|W|display=title|region:US-CA_type:event_scale:5000}}
{{Chatsworth, Los Angeles}}
{{2008 railway accidents}}
{{Railway accidents and incidents in the United States in the 21st century}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatsworth train collision}}
[[Category:2008 disasters in the United States]]
[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving Metrolink (California)]]
[[Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Railway accidents in 2008]]
[[Category:Transportation in the San Fernando Valley]]
[[Category:Railway accidents involving a signal passed at danger]]
[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving Union Pacific Railroad]]
[[Category:2008 in Los Angeles|Chatsworth train]]
[[Category:Train collisions in the United States]]
[[Category:September 2008 in the United States]]
[[Category:Driver distraction]]