Passenger/Freight Train Collision September 12, 2008, Chatsworth, CA: Main Report

On September 12, 2008, a passenger train and freight train collided head-on in the Chatsworth district of Los Angeles, California. Each train was initially travelling at more than 40 mph. Twenty-five people were killed and approximately 138 were injured, many severely. With assistance from emergency responders, local authorities, and accident survivors, both the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rail Accident Forensic Team and the National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident. This report on the Chatsworth accident by the Forensic Team presents the estimated sequence of events of the collision, the behavior (dynamics) and specific structures of the trains, passenger injuries, the performance of emergency preparedness and crashworthiness features, and recommendations for enhanced protections to improve passenger safety in the future. The appendices include greater technical detail on the train structures and dynamics, and passenger experiences.

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• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/34278
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/35576
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Appendixes are a separate document (67p.) at the provided URL.
• Corporate Authors:

  Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Railroad Policy and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research, Development, and Technology
  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Tyrell, David
  • Severson, Kris
  • Jacobsen, Kari
  • Carolan, Michael
  • 0000-0002-8758-5739
  • Lapre, Pete
  • Whelan, Charlie
  • Schuster, Jennifer
  • Sandler, Marc
  • Marceau, Phillip
• Publication Date: 2017-9-29

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 46p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash analysis; Crash injuries; Crash investigation; Crashworthiness; Fatalities; Freight trains; Frontal crashes; Occupant dynamics; Passenger trains; Passengers; Railroad crashes; Railroad safety; Recommendations; Structural analysis; Vehicle dynamics
• Geographic Terms: Los Angeles (California)
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01648524
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/FRA/ORD-17-20
• Contract Numbers: DTFR53-15-X-00042; RR28A4/QJ2C6, QJ2C7
• Files: NTL, TRIS, RITA, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 17 2017 5:27PM