DENVER — The operator of a Regional Transportation District light rail train that ran off the end of tracks at a station in Golden in March likely fell asleep, the Denver Post reports.
The RTD disclosed findings of its investigation into the March 11 incident as it filed a corrective action plan with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, the Post reports. Two passengers were injured when the train ran past the end of the track and up a hill at the Jefferson County Government Center station [see “Two injured as light rail train derails …,” Trains News Wire, March 11, 2023].
The report says the operator was likely asleep and that “excessive speed and inattention of the train operator” caused the accident. The agency will adjust its “fit for duty,” checklist, conduct a fatigue awareness campaign among operators, and evaluate operators’ starting times and shift durations.
The Government Center station has yet to reopen, with the RTD serving the center with shuttle buses from its Red Rocks College station. A lengthy service disruption after an accident is nothing new for the RTD light rail system. After a Sept. 21, 2022, derailment in Aurora, a segment of the R Line where that incident occurred was shut down until late November [see “After more than two months, full service restored …,” News Wire, Nov. 29, 2022].
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