A federal probe into last year’s fatal monorail collision at Walt Disney World could continue for the better part of 2010, The Daily Disney reported.
“We’re now in the final stages of the investigation,” The Daily Disney quoted NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson as saying. “I don’t think we’re going to see anything this summer.”
The 21-year-old Walt Disney World monorail pilot was killed July 5 when two monorails collided at the Ticket and Transportation Center. The National Transportation Safety Board previously said the pilot who was killed tried to reverse his train in order to avoid the collision.
The fatality was the first on the Walt Disney World Monorail.
In December, OSHA $44,000 in penalties against Disney for the monorail wreck. That includes a $7,000 penalty for a serious violation “for not providing a place of employment free from recognized hazards that could cause death or serious harm by exposing employees to struck-by collision hazards.”
That is the “maximum amount allowed for a serious citation,” OSHA said.
The monorails are not only an efficient means for traversing the Walt Disney World resort, they are among one of the most popular attractions. The system opened in 1971 and today has three lines. There are now 11 monorail trains that operate over nearly 15 miles of track.
A single monorail built with the remains of the two trains that crashed debuted earlier this year.