2011 Train derailment, DeWitt
/ File photo
DEWITT -- A DeWitt train derailment last summer has prompted federal safety investigators to issue new safety recommendations.
It comes in light of the derailment in July 2011.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued two safety recommendations Friday to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), industry groups and labor unions related to five rear-end collisions in which crew members failed to operate their trains at the required restricted speed.
One of the highlighted accidents happened July 6, 2011 in DeWitt.
The accident happened near Court Street Road behind Banes & Cone, a stone and cement business.
One train reportedly rear-ended another, and some train cars were jammed together, partially resting on top of each other. Some diesel fuel was spilled, but the leak was fixed.
All five recommendations focus on the need for railroads to disseminate information related to these accidents to their employees and to emphasize the need for crew members to operate trains in accordance with restricted speed operating rules.
The NTSB is concerned this may be an issue affecting a broad segment of the U.S. railroad industry. Read the safety recommendations here.
