Collision of Two Trains in Michigan

Michigan: The Canadian National/Illinois Central Railway (CN/IC) southbound train 533 and the northbound train 243 collided near Clarkston, Michigan. The collision occurred on the CN/IC Holly Subdivision at a switch at the south end of a siding designated as the Andersonville siding. Train 533 had been operating in a southward direction through the siding and was traveling at 13 mph when it struck train 243. Signal 14LC at the turnout for the siding displayed a stop indication, but train 533 did not stop before proceeding onto the mainline track. Train 243 was operating northward on a proceed signal on the single main track about 30 mph when the trains collided. Both crewmembers of train 243 were fatally injured; the two crewmembers of train 533 sustained serious injuries. The total cost of the accident was approximately $1.4 million.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the November 15, 2001, Canadian National/Illinois Central Railway accident in Clarkston, Michigan, was the train 533 crewmembers’ fatigue, which was primarily due to the engineer’s untreated and the conductor’s insufficiently treated obstructive sleep apnea.

In its investigation of this accident, the Safety Board examined one safety issue:

• The adequacy of rail industry standards and procedures for identifying and reporting potentially incapacitating medical conditions.