Amtrak Engineer Did Not Use Cell Phone Before Crash, Report Says

Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian was not using his cell phone in the moments leading up to the fatal derailment in Philadelphia in May, according to a new update from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB analyzed Bostian’s cell phone calls, texts and data usage from tower records and information from the train’s WiFi system, according to the report.

“Analysis of the phone records does not indicate that any calls, texts, or data usage occurred during the time the engineer was operating the train,” the report says. “Amtrak’s records confirm that the engineer did not access the train’s Wi-Fi system while he was operating the locomotive.”

Bostian’s activity before Amtrak 188 went off the tracks at the Frankford Junction in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia on May 12 came under scrutiny just days after the fatal accident that killed eight and injured more than 200. According to reports, Bostian declined to give a statement to investigators until he obtained legal representation.

The NTSB’s preliminary report confirmed that the train had reached a speed of 106 miles per hour before hitting the curve, which posts a 50 mph speed limit. Bostian hit the emergency brake right before the derailment, the report says.

The final report remains pending, but that has not prevented civil lawsuits from citing Bostian’s actions as a contributing factor to the derailment, along with Amtrak’s lack of safety control mechanisms on the curve.

Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman has pledged to have a Positive Train Control system installed in the company’s Northeast Corridor tracks by the end of the year. Experts agree that such a system could have made automatic adjustments that might have prevented the derailment.

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