WASHINGTON--The National Transportation Safety Board opened a two-day hearing Tuesday into the crash of a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth that left 25 people dead.

The NTSB has said that the Metrolink engineer who died in the crash, Robert Sanchez, sent and received 57 text messages while on duty that day last September, including one 22 seconds before impact.

Federal documents disclosed that Sanchez was planning to let a railroad fan operate the locomotive on the day of the accident.

The texts indicate Sanchez had allowed the fan to ride in the cab several days before the crash, and that he was planning to let him run the train between four stations on the evening of the crash.

The hearing resumes Wednesday.

Story Date: March 5, 2009