Investigation into train derailment looking at a possible communications breakdown

Authorities investigating how a backhoe ended up in the path of an Amtrak train traveling at more than 100 mph Sunday morning are looking into whether a communications breakdown may have been responsible for a crash that killed two veteran railwaymen.

The two workers were identified Monday as Joseph Carter Jr., 61, of Wilmington, and Peter John Adamovich, 59, of Lincoln University, Pa.

Both were killed when Amtrak Train 89, traveling from New York to Savannah, Ga., crashed into their backhoe just before 8 a.m. Both died at the scene. The Delaware County Medical Examiner's Office said the cause of death for both was blunt force trauma.

Carter, an Amtrak employee for nearly 20 years, worked as a heavy-equipment operator. Adamovich was a 38-year employee.

The train was moving at 106 mph in a 110-mph zone seconds before it struck the men, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board reported Monday.

The agency investigating the crash said the backhoe was directly in the path of Train 89. A ballast cleaner, a device used to scoop rocks from the rail bed, was on an adjacent track.

Authorities from several agencies said problems with Amtrak's dispatch could have been a key factor in the crash. Information about the work crew's presence on the rails may not have been shared during a shift change, they said.

The NTSB would not say whether dispatching was a focus of their investigation, though a source close to the probe said conversations between dispatchers and workers on the track Sunday and in the preceding days would be looked at closely.

The investigators will also try to determine whether mechanical failures could have contributed to the crash, and will look at what role, if any, Positive Train Control, an automatic braking system in place on this stretch of track, could have played, the NTSB said.

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D., Phila.), who toured the crash scene Sunday, said he saw dents on the train that must have come from portions of the maintenance equipment slamming into the train's sides.

"It devastated the train," he said Monday. "I can't imagine how anyone sitting there didn't get hurt worse."

Authorities have said that none of the 37 passengers who were hurt suffered life-threatening injuries.

Though he had no firsthand knowledge, Brady said conversations with rail workers left him with the impression that only a communications breakdown could have caused the crash.

"I believe without question it's a communication problem," Brady said.

He and other members of Congress said they would pay close attention to the progress of the investigation.

"Safety has to be the number-one concern for Amtrak, and I will do everything I can to ensure Amtrak and the federal government respond to this incident appropriately," U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.) said Monday.

Officials said that Amtrak can use four separate tracks in that area and that the backhoe and the ballast cleaner were on the middle two tracks. One of the points of inquiry will be why the train was routed to one of those middle tracks.

On Monday afternoon, nearly 36 hours after the crash, NTSB officials said the train's engineer hit the brakes on the train 5 seconds before hitting the piece of heavy equipment near the Booth Road underpass about 7:50 a.m. The eight-car train traveled a mile farther before stopping.

The NTSB on Monday would not say what work the crew was doing on the tracks that morning.

The Federal Railroad Administration mandates a complicated series of regulations that are supposed to prevent trains from endangering work crews on tracks.

The rules emphasize communication among workers on the rail, a worker who is an assigned coordinator, and a dispatcher or control operator who is supposed to coordinate the maintenance assignments with area train traffic. Having personnel on rails is called "fouling the track," according to FRA regulations, and crews assigned to work on the rails are given a briefing on the steps being taken to protect them.

There are several means of protection for crews on the rails, including an electronic system that can cut power to approaching trains, spotters who alert them to coming trains with flags and air horns, and a person in contact with a dispatcher or control operator who is aware of all the trains traveling in the area.

Permission to work on the tracks can come to a crew in a written document or orally, but when oral permission is given a written copy must be created.

There are also restrictions that should either limit the speed of trains operating in the area or prevent them from moving in the area until the worker on the rail has reported that all people and equipment are clear of the track.

The FRA also requires that workers be notified before there are changes to their work assignment and their protection on the rails is ending. And the controls that keep the rails clear of trains should not be lifted until it is clear that every person is off the tracks.

"Working limits shall not be released until all affected roadway workers have either left the track or have been afforded on-track safety through train approach warning," according to FRA regulations.

jlaughlin@phillynews.com

215-854-4587@jasmlaughlin