Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety Headquarters Assigned Accident Investigation Report HQ-2007-91, Union Pacific/Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Memphis, Tennessee, November 22, 2006

摘要

On November 22, 2006, about 2:19 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST), an eastbound Union Pacific Railroad (UP) freight Train QNLSF21 collided head-on with a westbound Burlington Northern/Santa Fe (BNSF) Train EMHSNAM2-23 that was stopped on the Norfolk Southern (NS) Westbound Main Track at milepost (MP) 547.0 in Memphis, Tennessee (TN). UP trains operating over NS at this location must receive permission from the NS yardmaster located at Forrest Yard to enter the Westbound or Eastbound main track. However, the switches at this location are remotely controlled by the UP train dispatcher located in Omaha, Nebraska (NE). The NS yardmaster instructed Train QNLSF21 to operate eastward on the Eastbound Main Track. The crew operating Train QNLSF21 repeated these instructions to the UP train dispatcher. The train dispatcher repeated the instructions back to the train crew, but incorrectly said Westbound Main instead of Eastbound Main. Radio recordings indicate the UP train crew confirmed the dispatchers repeat of Westbound Main. The train dispatcher lined Train QNLSF21 into the NS Westbound Main Track, where BNSF Train EMHSNAM2-23 was stopped, causing the head-on collision. The collision resulted in the derailment of five cars on Train QNLSF21. UP reported equipment damage to Train QNLSF21 to be $26,984 ($10,001 to the locomotive and $16,983 to the cars) and track damage at $12,417. BNSF reported equipment damage to be $15,000 to locomotive BNSF 6062. NS estimates track damage at $1,500. The engineer on Train QNLSF21 reported injuries to his right hand and neck and was given a prescription after receiving medical treatment. The conductor of Train QNLSF21 reported injuries to his neck, shoulder, right knee, and left thumb. At the time of the accident, the sky was dark, but clear and the temperature was reported to be 35F. The probable cause of the accident was the failure of Train QNLSF21 to comply with restricted speed. NS Time Table Division Special Instructions require all trains to operate at this location at a maximum authorized speed of 10 miles per hour (mph). Contributing to the accident was a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) speed violation. UP Train QNLSF21 was operating at a recorded speed of 21 mph prior to the collision.