Hotline #78 - March 19, 1999

The southbound City of New Orleans on the evening of March 15 struck a truck loaded with steel bars at a grade crossing three miles north of Kankakee, Ill. Part of the train derailed, with one of the locomotives splitting a Superliner sleeping car in two. The car, where all 11 fatalities were, was ignited by leaking diesel fuel. These are the first Amtrak passenger fatalities since the Sunset Limited wreck in Alabama in 1993, which was caused by a wayward barge. This is also the first time a grade-crossing collision has caused an Amtrak passenger fatality, even though trucks cause on the average about two serious Amtrak derailments a year.

Investigators have been busy all week, including re-enacting the accident the evening of March 17. They found that the crossing gates and lights were in working order, that the truck driver should have had adequate time to clear the crossing, and that it was possible to zig-zag the truck through the closed gates. They are studying tire tracks on the shoulder of the road to see if they match the truck.

A witness has said he saw the truck drive through the crossing after warning lights began flashing. However, because the witness speaks broken English and had to be interviewed through a Spanish translator, it was unclear whether he saw the truck drive through the lowered gates. The engineer said early on he saw the truck zig-zag through the gates, but he was seriously injured and cannot be re-interviewed for now. The witness did indicate there was another car in the area with two women in it, who have not come forward.

The truck driver, John Stokes, was driving on a probationary permit because he had gotten three speeding tickets in Indiana in the last year. He also had five older Illinois citations not on his driving record because he had completed court supervision for them.

Last May, NARP wrote in favor of proposed Federal Highway Administration rules that would strengthen penalties for crossing violations committed by commercial drivers. Unfortunately, enacting the penalties has been delayed by complaints by trucking interests. NARP also believes it would be useful for local law enforcement officials everywhere to enforce existing laws more forcefully, as a deterrent to crossing violations.

Despite the heavy damage and prolonged search for victims, the Illinois Central was able to reopen one track on March 17. That allowed resumption of Amtrak trains through the area -- subject to slow orders -- that had been bussed earlier in the week.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Transportation Subcommittee, has promised grade crossing hearings next week.

Authorities are investigating a collision between two Coaster commuter trains near Del Mar, Cal., on March 13. One train that was sitting on a siding was sideswiped by another train moving on the mail line, apparently because the first train was sticking out onto the main line a little bit. Three passengers were treated for minor injuries.

Amtrak is moving forward with the Maricopa station project, according to the Arizona Republic. There had been a delay that involved getting state permission to locate the station on a state road, and negotiating a new location with Union Pacific. Amtrak hopes that the Maricopa station will allow it to tap some of the Phoenix market it is now missing for the most part, since the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle were rerouted away from Phoenix. NARP has been discussing with Amtrak the implications of the Maricopa stop to an eventual return to Phoenix.

The General Accounting Office has accused the chief engineer of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor business unit, Allison Conway-Smith, of improperly giving a contract worth $2 million to her neighbor for consulting work, and of misleading Amtrak management about the contract. The matter has been turned over to the Amtrak inspector general, who will prepare a formal response within 60 days.