The National Transportation Safety Board raised questions about a “lack of a safety culture” at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, according to The Boston Globe. NTSB’s investigation into a 2008 crash on the MBTA’s Green Line light-rail system identified two key factors — driver fatigue, characterized as “micro-sleep,” and the absence of an automated collision avoidance system. In a press release, NTSB acting chairman Mark V. Rosenker said:
Again, we’ve seen a situation where a positive train control system could have prevented a tragic accident. We know that because operators or equipment sometimes fail, redundancies like PTC systems can be the difference between a fatal accident and an incident report. And this is why we feel so strongly that transit systems like MBTA’s should have that crucial extra layer of safety that a PTC system provides.
The MBTA has automated systems in place on its other rail lines and has begun investigating options for the Green Line. Link to full story in The Boston Globe.
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