Reports say train crash engineer regularly used his mobile

The engineer allegedly responsible for the fatal Los Angeles rail crash on 12th September 2008 was known to regularly use his mobile phone while operating trains, according to reports that quote a lawyer acting for several victims. [Sources: Cellular-News.com; NYTimes.com]

Mobile ticketing standard agreed by UK rail companies

Back in October we talked to Ben Whitaker from secure mobile applications company Masabi about tickets on mobile phones. The company has now announced that it's developed a new standard for secure barcode rail ticketing in conjunction with the Rail Settlement Plan, which is the ticketing organisation jointly owned by train and rail operating companies. The new open standard allows all mobile ticketing schemes to use a common barcode system and means they're able to start accepting a single mobile ticket on a journey involving multiple rail operators. [Press release]

Robber caught after swapping mobile with victim

A 21 year-old man has been jailed for six months after stealing a mobile phone and handing over his own phone as compensation. Eneas Tanyongana from Harlow was arrested within hours of his offence. He 'd robbed his 16-year-old victim on a train in Hertfordshire, threatening to stab him if he didn’t hand over his mobile phone. When the boy asked what he was supposed to do without a phone, Tanyongana handed over his own phone, complete with contact details and photos. Police investigators used the information contained in Tanyongana’s phone to identify and arrest him. The victim's phone was recovered and CCTV footage was used to link the attacker to two other robberies. [Press release]

Rail crash engineer was texting on duty

The USA's National Transportation Safety Board has issued a new statement about the railway collision in September that killed 25 people and injured 130. As previously suggested, the engineer of the Metrolink train had been sending text messages while on duty (in contravention of his company's policy). The last text message received by the engineer's phone before the accident was at 4:21:03 pm according to the mobile phone company's records, and the last text message sent from the phone was 4:22:01 pm. The accident was estimated to happen at 4:22:23 pm. As a result of these findings, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has said it will issue an emergency order explicitly prohibiting the use of personal electronic devices by railroad employees while operating trains and in other settings. [NTSB press release; FRA press release]

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]

Was texting to blame for rail crash?

There are suggestions that text messaging could have resulted in a Los Angeles train crash that killed 25 people. Two teenage railway enthusiasts have said they were exchanging text messages with the engineer on one of the trains involved shortly before it jumped a red signal and hit a freight train last Friday. Federal investigators have said they'll be checking mobile phone records. [Sources: LAist.com; dailynews.com]

O2 to offer mobile coverage on Glasgow subway

O2 customers will be able to make and receive calls on Glasgow's underground railway system later this year. Coverage will be available in five Glasgow Subway stations - Buchanan Street, St Enoch, Kelvinbridge, Hillhead and Partick - from December. Customers will also have access to other mobile services, including text messages, 3G video calls and internet access. In addition, WiFi coverage could be offered in the future. It's a story we first mentioned earlier this year. [Press release]