Metrolink Remembers Victims of Chatsworth Incident with Memorial and Rail Safety Event

Target Audience: Metrolink is a passenger rail provider governed by of five county transportation agencies spanning Southern California. The people who ride or could potentially ride our trains were the primary target audience for the Chatsworth Remembrance/Rail Safety Event (Event). The Event also targeted peer passenger rail agencies that are still struggling with Positive Train Control implementation. Another important audience was first responders, who so heroically responded to the Chatsworth crash. The Event attracted news media to report the message to an audience of millions who consume online, newspaper, radio, and television news throughout Southern California.

Strategy Objective:The strategy of the Chatsworth Remembrance/Rail Safety Event was two-fold: to honor and remember the 25 killed and 130 injured in the head-on collision between a Metrolink passenger train and a Union Pacific freight train on Sept. 12, 2008 and to highlight transformational safety improvements made in the ten years since the crash. The strategy required two separate, yet integrated events. The first was a memorial and press conference on a patio of Los Angeles Union Station that featuring current and former Metrolink board members, elected officials and a special role for the family of those killed and injured. The second event was a comprehensive exhibit within Union Station that displayed safety technology and pointed to Metrolink's commitment to safety following the crash.

Situation Challenge: The Chatsworth Remembrance/Rail Safety Event recognized the 10th anniversary since the Sept. 12, 2008 head-on collision between a Metrolink passenger train and a Union Pacific freight train that killed 25 people and injured another 130. An investigation found the cause of the crash was the conductor of the Metrolink train being distracted by texting on his cell phone and passing a red "stop" signal. In addition to honoring the victims, the event pointed to the transformative safety changes that have occurred since then that would prevent such a terrible incident from ever happening again. It also brought together a display of safety advances and improvements that resulted from the tragedy including Metrolink's national leadership in installing Positive Train Control.

Results Impact: The Chatsworth Remembrance/Rail Safety Event (Event) reinforced Metrolink's position as a national leader in rail safety through transformational improvements including the agency becoming the first passenger rail provider in the nation to establish Positive Train Control on all its tracks. The Event was warmly received by family members who were affected by the Chatsworth crash and they praised Metrolink in news media. In addition, news coverage stressed Metrolink's interoperability with Amtrak, Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF ensuring safe operation throughout the region. News media coverage of Metrolink's safety culture provided greater public awareness, which strengthens the agency's reputation and brand. The Event positioned Metrolink for future growth in ridership.

Why Submit: The Chatsworth Remembrance/Rail Safety Event (Event) was a comprehensive public message strategy that recognized a disaster ten years before, honored people who were affected, brought together public policy makers and displayed groundbreaking safety improvements that make rail travel safer than it has ever been. The message stressed Metrolink's safety culture and its dedication to adopting technologies to keep riders safe. Metrolink risked negative reaction by calling attention to its greatest failure ten years ago. But taking the risk of developing a public message that faced history honestly and invited the active participation of the very people hurt most resulted in personal and community healing that was unexpected and brought about our greatest success.