Train engineer was texting before crash

The train engineer involved in the Los Angeles rail crash on 12th September was sending text messages on the day of the accident, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board. It had previously been suggested that his texting may have caused the accident. The company operating the railway, Southern California's Metrolink, prohibits railway workers from using mobile phones while working. A temporary legal ban on personal mobile phone use for railway workers has now been introduced while a permanent ban is currently being proposed. [Sources: NTSB; WashingonPost.com]