National Transportation Safety Board. 2021. Amtrak Roadway Worker Fatality, Bowie Maryland,
April 24, 2018. Publication Type NTSB/RAR-21/02. Washington, DC: NTSB.
Abstract: On April 24, 2018, about 8:58 a.m. local time, northbound Amtrak (National Railroad
Passenger Corporation) train 86 struck and killed an Amtrak rail gang watchman near the Bowie State
Train Station in Bowie, Maryland. The accident occurred on main track 1 at milepost 119.2 on Amtrak’s
Northeast Corridor. At the time of the accident, main track 2 was out of service under a continuous track
outage for track maintenance, and the adjacent tracks immediately to the east and west of main track 2
(main tracks 1 and 3, respectively) were in service for train movements. Three watchmen were protecting
the roadway workers and watching for trains moving on adjacent tracks to warn workers of approaching
trains. One watchman was positioned near the boarding platform, another was positioned in a nearby
curve, and the third watchman was positioned toward the end of the curve, near a work gang of welders.
The third watchman was the employee struck by the train. No passengers or crewmembers on Amtrak
train 86 were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified the following safety
issues: inadequate site-specific safety risk assessment, unsafe train speeds in established work zones, and
ineffective roadway worker protection. As a result of this investigation, the NTSB makes safety
recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration; Amtrak; and Amtrak and all Class I Railroads.
NTSB also reiterated a recommendation to Amtrak and reiterated and classified a recommendation to the
Federal Railroad Administration.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency dedicated to promoting
aviation, railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline safety. Established in 1967, the agency is mandated by Congress
through the Independent Safety Board Act of 1974, to investigate transportation accidents, determine the probable
causes of the accidents, issue safety recommendations, study transportation safety issues, and evaluate the safety
effectiveness of government agencies involved in transportation. The NTSB makes public its actions and decisions
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improve transportation safety by investigating accidents and incidents and issuing safety recommendations. In
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section 1154(b)).
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