The engineer of the Amtrak train that derailed Tuesday night has been released from the hospital and was identified Wednesday as Brandon Bostian.
Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia confirmed the identification of Bostian after other sources named him to NBC News. Records of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen indicate that Bostian has worked for Amtrak since April 2009.
Philadelphia’s mayor and police commissioner said the engineer had been questioned, but it couldn’t immediately be determined whether he was cooperating with investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the train derailed when engineer slammed on the emergency brakes as it went through a curve in north Philadelphia at 106 mph — more than double the 50-mph speed limit. The crash killed at least seven people and injured scores of others.
Image: Brandon Bostian was the engineer of the derailed Amtrak train in Philadelphia.
is this kid even all of 27? he looks like an assistant driller for Christ’s sake! how did he get to be an engineer? is he somebody’s nephew? I bet he makes the same kind of money as an AD somewhere! WHAT THE FUCK!
of course you know that this punk was asleep at the FUCKING switch! If these engineers don’t have some form of license requiring seatime then time to implement this NOW!
Maybe he got the job the old fashioned way with a little union pay for play. That is why I only promote from within after going through the rigorous Master of Large OSV program. If they can pass that they are more than qualified to operate anything.
News report tonight gave his age as 32, and was alone in the locomotive.
I find it astounding that the engineer is up there by himself. Airlines with a similar passenger count have two up front for a reason. As the right seat says to the left seat, “It is only a mistake if we both make it.”
[QUOTE=LI_Domer;162105]I don’t see a problem with it. He’s been working them for 6 years. They should have some form of licensing though from I guess the DOT.[/QUOTE]
you would being young but the wisdom needed to safely command comes with age and experience. I have already related my seastories of being a too young master who got lucky that no calamities came from my lack of wisdom.
There’s a difference between being wise and being reckless/negligent. I know plenty of “old wise men” who make foolish reckless and negligent decisions in the wheelhouse. They just get lucky, so far.
Usually you do gain judgement with experience just from looking back at my own career but a dangerous risk taker will act that way at any age or experience level.
They ought to develop a licensing agency equivalent in customer service to the NI for the first 10 years before reaching NMC standards.
Hard to believe he fell asleep within miles of leaving a station. How did he even get up to that speed in that stretch? I would guess more DISTRACTION than sleep. Push the throttle up, take out phone, start looking at face book, send a few texts, look up when the EMD turbo starts howling, see curve coming, oh S@*#!!!. Hit brakes.
[QUOTE=KPChief;162131]Hard to believe he fell asleep within miles of leaving a station. How did he even get up to that speed in that stretch? I would guess more DISTRACTION than sleep. Push the throttle up, take out phone, start looking at face book, send a few texts, look up when the EMD turbo starts howling, see curve coming, oh S@*#!!!. Hit brakes.[/QUOTE]
JAYZUSS KEYRIST! This is even worse than falling asleep! These young punks can’t run anything these days without their EFFING gadgets in their faces. GET OFF THE FUCKING INTERNET AND DRIVE!
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[QUOTE=lm1883;162133]As with any incident, I will wait and read the report before I form an opinion. Can’t blame him for lawyering up though, any of us would.[/QUOTE]
WRONG! For safety’s sake we need to analyze accidents immediately. I also think the “lawyering up” to be DISGUSTING!
[QUOTE=c.captain;162144]JAYZUSS KEYRIST! This is even worse than falling asleep! These young punks can’t run anything these days without their EFFING gadgets in their faces. GET OFF THE FUCKING INTERNET AND DRIVE!
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WRONG! For safety’s sake we need to analyze accidents immediately. I also think the “lawyering up” to be DISGUSTING![/QUOTE]
How else is he supposed to make arrangements with the girl hes hooking up with in NY if he cant take his cell out.
On a serious note, I’d lawyer up immediately in any incident where I may be at fault in as well. I’d go see a lawyer write out a statement of the events between me and him and then give that statement to the authorities, and THEN with him there give my verbal statement. Of course if I was in this guy’s situation and it really was my fault I couldn’t live with myself if I got a bunch of people killed just from carelessness. I’m still waiting for all the details to come out before passing judgment, and hoping for this guy’s sake that it was some type of equipment failure.
EQUIPMENT FAILURE! It takes time to reach 106mph…certainly they have emergency shutdowns for the locomotive if the engine was in runaway! I bet the data shows it rapidly reaching that speed after departing the station and nothing changing until the brakes applied in desperate attempt by this PUNK to save his ass! If he wasn’t asleep, he was on a FUCKING device. Remember the crash in California that killed over 20 persons a few years ago when the FUCKER was on his phone!
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NO! it is the hiding behind his lawyer and pretending to recollect nothing that is DISGUSTING!
[QUOTE=LI_Domer;162145] I’m still waiting for all the details to come out before passing judgment, and hoping for this guy’s sake that it was some type of equipment failure.[/QUOTE]
According to today’s news, quoting his lawyer, he says he has no recollection of anything prior to the accident. Also the black box indicated that he had sped up and then, at the last moment, hit the emergency brake. That does not look like equipment failure.
I’m not suggesting it was equipment failure. Just hoping for his sake. I’m sure it was probably his fault. Still really want to see how it happened though. They should have two people in those cockpits just like on commercial jets, it’s almost unbelievable that they don’t.
[QUOTE=LI_Domer;162151] They should have two people in those cockpits just like on commercial jets, it’s almost unbelievable that they don’t.[/QUOTE]
Every single day MILLIONS of people safely ride passenger trains run by one guy. The number of people, just in the NY area, who ride the subway, Long Island Railroad, Metro North, and NJ Transit in one day is ungodly more than ride the northeast corridor AMTRAK in months. This happens all over the country.
When you go through NJ on the AMTRAK, in many cases you run right next to the NJ Transit tracks. In PA you ride next to SEPTA tracks. Down in MD you see MART. ALL driven by one guy
Passenger train driving is not a super high skill position. The controls are very modest. Speed and brake are about it. It requires attentiveness to the signals along the route. More people are killed in bus accidents every year than train accidents. Should busses have co-drivers?
Does the Amtrak Safe Ops manual specifically spell out wether he can have his phone while on duty? Did his voyage plan cover speed at approaches to turns at his waypoints? Did his JSA cover the use of portable electronic devices? Were the turns and speeds discussed in the JSA? Were there any open LOTO’s or other work permits on any onboard equipment? When were the trains last PSTP, FMEA, COI, ABT surveys performed? Were there any non conformities? I have way to many questions at this point…
[QUOTE=Rich Bogad;162153]Every single day MILLIONS of people safely ride passenger trains run by one guy. The number of people, just in the NY area, who ride the subway, Long Island Railroad, Metro North, and NJ Transit in one day is ungodly more than ride the northeast corridor AMTRAK in months. This happens all over the country.
When you go through NJ on the AMTRAK, in many cases you run right next to the NJ Transit tracks. In PA you ride next to SEPTA tracks. Down in MD you see MART. ALL driven by one guy
Passenger train driving is not a super high skill position. The controls are very modest. Speed and brake are about it. It requires attentiveness to the signals along the route. More people are killed in bus accidents every year than train accidents. Should busses have co-drivers?[/QUOTE]
You make good points. I get subway’s and commuter rail only having one driver. I still think trips over a certain length should have some type of copilot or apprentice or assistant. Not saying he has to be of equal experience, but in those situations it would be better to have two up there. Also it sounds like their working/rest hours need to be more in the crew’s favor.
[QUOTE=LI_Domer;162158]Fraq, I heard he didn’t even contact VTS.
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I still think trips over a certain length should have some type of copilot or apprentice or assistant. Not saying he has to be of equal experience, but in those situations it would be better to have two up there. Also it sounds like their working/rest hours need to be more in the crew’s favor.[/QUOTE]
The ride from NYC to DC on the AMTRAK train he was driving is 3.5 hours. The ride from NYC to Easthampton, Long Island is about 3.25 hours.
If the guy drives for 3.5 hours, the transit time, then gets an hour’s rest, then heads back, that equals 7 hours of untaxing work, with a 1 hour break thrown in for a total of 8 hours. Is 8 hours too much to ask? Since the AVERAGE AMTRAK worker makes about $91,000 per year, and drivers tend to be at the top, I’m guessing he makes a nice 6 figures for this.
Update: In the very recent past, Metro North, In NY, had the exact same thing happen. An engineer on a run from Poughkeepsie to NYC took a turn in the Bronx at far too high a rate of speed and derailed, with fatalities and serious injuries. That’s a run of of about 1.75 hours. These people are not suffering from overwork. They’re suffering from not paying attention.
