Authorities investigate death of rail conductor struck by train in Montana

Columbus (US), Oct 20 (AP) Authorities were investigating the death of a rail conductor who was hit by a passing train on Sunday in Montana, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The conductor

worked for BNSF Railway, the agency said in a post on the social media site X. BNSF Railway operates one of the largest freight railway networks in the US.

The incident occurred at about 9.40 am in Columbus, a town of about 2,000 people 64 kilometres southwest of Billings.

Emergency response officials were not sure what happened other than that an individual was between two trains, said Nick Jacobs, Columbus Fire Rescue’s assistant chief. One train was parked on one track and the other train was moving on another track, he said.

“And the moving one struck him somehow,” Jacobs said.

The NTSB and Federal Railroad Administration officials were at the scene, Jacobs said.

A spokesperson for BNSF said the company was referring all questions to the NTSB.

The identity of the deceased was not immediately released.

A report by the Federal Railroad Administration last year found BNSF was generally striving to improve safety on a consistent basis, but that message did not always reach front-line workers who often did not feel comfortable reporting safety concerns for fear of being disciplined.

The agency prepared the report as part of an effort to review all major railroads to address safety concerns after a 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. (AP) RUK RUK