Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Associated PressAn accurate passenger count was not available at the time an Amtrak train crashed last year.
MIAMI - Federal investigators needed five months to pin down exactly how many people were on an Amtrak Auto Train in a fatal crash in Central Florida last year, information that should have been accurately available at the scene, a National Transportation Safety Board report said.
The initial count of 468 passengers and crew provided by Amtrak right after the April 18, 2002, accident was long by 22 people, the report said. The final number of 446 passengers and crew also didn't match numbers on three separate lists given to the NTSB by Amtrak after the crash, the report said.
A complete and accurate count available immediately after an accident will help emergency workers locate, evaluate and treat people and avoid leaving passengers behind or wasting time looking for those who were never there, according to the report dated Friday and released Monday.
The crash in Crescent City killed four and injured 36.
Amtrak acknowledged the discrepancy but pointed out that the frequent stops involved in some train travel make it difficult to have an absolute record of everyone on a specific train, even those on long-distance trips with reserved passenger lists.
"We're not aware of any system or technology that exists short of polling the entire population of the train after every station stop and requiring identification each time for accomplishing this," Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said Tuesday.
Developing a complete and accurate list for an Auto Train should be easier because it does not have intermediate passenger stops, Black said.
Keith Holloway, an NTSB spokesman, said the agency gathered information from Amtrak, Putnam County emergency services and medical records to establish how many people were on the Auto Train.
The report expanded on a recommendation in an Aug. 5 report on the crash that Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Transportation Security Administration develop a system to accurately list all passengers and crew on long-distance trains.
The report asked the TSA to respond within 90 days with any action it has taken or intends to take regarding the recommendation.
"We would be happy to work with the Federal Railroad Administration and rail operators to assist them in developing a more accurate tracking system," said Lauren Stover, TSA spokeswoman in Miami.
Amtrak also is willing to work with the NTSB and other bodies to acquire systems that could "feasibly and at a reasonable cost" provide accurate counts, Black said.
The Aug. 5 report said poor track maintenance was to blame for the crash. The NTSB unanimously approved a report saying the track's owners, CSX Transportation, did make sure the track was properly aligned and had adequate support.