COLUMBUS, Montana — Authorities are investigating a tragic incident involving a rail conductor who was fatally struck by a train on Sunday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The conductor, employed by BNSF Railway, was involved in the accident, as noted in a statement shared by the agency on the social media platform X. BNSF Railway is known for operating one of the most extensive freight railway systems across the United States.
The accident took place around 9:40 a.m. in Columbus, a small community of approximately 2,000 residents located 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Billings.
According to Nick Jacobs, the assistant chief of Columbus Fire Rescue, emergency responders are still piecing together the sequence of events. The conductor was caught between two trains, with one train stationary on one track while the other was moving on an adjacent track.
“The moving train somehow struck him,” Jacobs explained.
Officials from the NTSB and the Federal Railroad Administration have been dispatched to the scene to conduct a thorough investigation, Jacobs added.
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 didn’t always reach front-line workers who often didn’t 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.
