Close calls with MetroRail train

AUSTIN (KXAN) - In addition to what witnesses said was a near-miss between a MetroRail train and car last week in East Austin, a Capital Metro spokesman said Friday they are investigating how a driver skidded onto private tracks with a MetroRail train approaching nearly two months ago.

Officials say that even though the North Austin crossing was on private property and not under the control of CapMetro, they are investigating the incident to make sure they can prevent future incidents from happening.

Both Capital Metro officials and the Federal Railroad Administration say the incident is not as serious as revelations from an Austin man who said he was nearly killed at a crossing last week near MLK Jr. and Airport Blvd. because of a malfunctioning safety arm.

The transit agency released video Friday showing the MLK incident, where a man said he was nearly killed.  The video shows a Capital Metro train pulling up to the MLK crossing near Aiport Boulevard. 

The video, taken from onboard cameras on the train, appears to show the MetroRail train stopping before the crossing.  Next, the crossing arms appear to go up before the train crosses Martin Luther King Boulevard.  A vehicle then crosses, but the crossing gates return to the down position, and then the train crosses MLK.

Adam Shaivitz, spokesman with Capital Metro would not comment about whether a crash occurred, only saying that Capital Metro's risk investigator is still conducting an investigation.

CapMetro train video of the MLK/Airport Blvd. incident last week. The below video shows four angles of the same incident.

 

Meanwhile, flaggers stationed themselves Friday morning at the MLK and Airport location as crossing gates still malfunctioned while the MetroRail train approached.

As the train moved northbound, the crossing gates went up after it passed the MLK station and neared the crossing at MLK Boulevard.

MetroRail crossing malfunctions 

 

"That's why I'm here," said flagger Alfred Castillo, as the MetroRail train crossed Friday morning.

Castillo said he came to the MLK stop last Thursday after Jamel Houston's accident and saw the two cars involved in the accident had pulled into a nearby restaurant to record each other's information.

"No one was here because they thought [the crossings] were working," Castillo said.

Houston said he was crossing the tracks at Martin Luther King Jr. and Airport boulevards on May 28 when, without warning, a train passed inches in front of him.

Houston said the stop caused the woman behind him to rear-end his truck. Houston also said he suffered a fractured arm and loss of work.

The transit agency provides human flaggers at some of those crossings but not all the time. They also said last week's incident is still under risk-management review, but both Houston and Marimon insist the agency has ignored their repeated calls.

However, Capital Metro Spokesman Adam Shaivitz said risk investigators had already interviewed Houston. 

Shaivitz also released a customer call report and the statement taken by a risk investigator about Houston's incident.

Capital Metro officials are still conducting practice runs on its Leander-to-Austin line, and they said a few crossings still need safety-signal calibrating, including the MLK and Airport location.

Alana Marimon, the woman in the trailing car, said the train would have struck Houston if he had not stopped.

"Mr. Houston is lucky to be alive," said Marimon.

Houston said he is still haunted by his brush with death, saying he wakes up every morning shaking, nervous and sweating.

"I think I’m supposed to be dead and I [keep] dreaming about the train that's supposed to kill me," said Houston. "I'm hearing that horn too much."

Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Walter Flatau said Friday the FRA is investigating the incident at the MLK and Airport boulevard location. "The region was apparently looking into it after they received a report after a relatively short order," said Flatau.

He also said Capital Metro is cooperating with their investigation.