Metrolink adds locomotives to Hyundai-Rotem cab cars

Metrolink plans to add a BNSF Railway Co. locomotive in front of each its Hyundai-Rotem cab cars as part of a safety initiative.

Debuted in 2010, the cars had been positioned at the opposite end of a locomotive in the passenger railroad's current configuration of trainsets, Metrolink officials said in a press release.

"We are taking this additional step as a redundancy to keep our riders safe, while a second locomotive will address some of our recent mechanical delays," Metrolink Chief Executive Officer Art Leahy said.

The passenger railroad began reviews of its Hyundai-Rotem cab cars earlier this year, following a Feb. 24 collision with an unoccupied truck and trailer on the tracks in Oxnard, Calif.

The train involved in the crash was led by Hyundai-Rotem cab car, Metrolink officials said.

These types of cars include controls for engineers to operate at the front of trains when they're being pushed from behind by locomotives, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. 

Metrolink is working toward determining if a design flaw in these cars led to the train's derailment during the collision in Oxnard earlier this year, the paper reported.