NTSB announces Conrail accident investigation findings, installs Benthall as CFO

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that the probable cause of a 2012 Conrail derailment at the Paulsboro Bridge in New Jersey was inadequate operating rules and bridge inspection procedures.

On Nov. 30, 2012, a Conrail train stopped for a red signal at the Paulsboro movable bridge over the Mantua Creek in Paulsboro, NJ. The signal indicated that the bridge was not secured for the train to cross.

The derailment — which resulted in a hazardous material release — occurred because Conrail rules allowed the train to proceed past a red signal onto a movable bridge without the rail slide locks being fully engaged, NTSB officials said in a press release. Investigators determined that Conrail relied on a training and qualification program that did not prepare the train crew to adequately examine the bridge lock system, they said.

The lack of a comprehensive safety management program, which would have identified multiple bridge malfunctions that had been increasing in frequency, contributed to the accident, investigators found. The NTSB determined that the bridge had malfunctioned 23 times in the year before the accident, including 11 times in the final month leading up to the derailment.

"The stakes are too high to leave multiple malfunctions uncorrected without a robust process that adequately mitigates the increased risk," said Acting NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart. "In this case, the red signal was correct. Inadequate bridge inspection procedures — compounded by the lack of a safety management system — were the problem."

As a result of the investigation, the NTSB issued 20 safety recommendations, one of which calls on the Federal Railroad Administration to issue a regulation that would permit a train to pass a red signal aspect at a moveable bridge that is similar to the regulation for crossing a broken rail.

"This would ensure that the bridge had been inspected by a qualified employee before a train is authorized to proceed across the bridge," NTSB officials said.

Meanwhile, the NTSB has appointed Edward Benthall Jr. chief financial officer. He has served as the board's acting CFO since January and deputy CFO since 2011.

Benthall — who has more than 20 years' experience in government, corporate and public accounting — joined the NTSB in 2001. He previously served as chief financial management and quality assurance officer.

"Ed's efforts have contributed to more than a decade of consecutive clean audit opinions and completion of Government Accountability Office recommended actions," said Hart.