USA - railways, public transport, services and incidents (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[Worcester_Passenger]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) report has a link to the Seattle Times report, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/curve-where-amtrak-train-derailed-in-washington-has-speed-limit-of-30-mph/, which has a picture from above - a very sharp curve indeed.

[Phantom]

I reckon that bend is around 260 m radius, which is pretty sharp to be taken at 80 mi/hr. But new track is tested, and American safety rules on this kind of thing are as strict as anyone else's.

Doing 80 mph on an area where the limit was 30mph

Inexperienced driver using the new line?, Train fault? Something went VERY wrong

RIP

[Red Squirrel]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) report has a link to the Seattle Times report, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/curve-where-amtrak-train-derailed-in-washington-has-speed-limit-of-30-mph/, which has a picture from above - a very sharp curve indeed.

I'm sure the curvature is greatly exaggerated by the foreshortening effect of a long lens... but it's a bend alright, as you can see on Google maps

_{Edit: add link to Google maps}

[stuving]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) report has a link to the Seattle Times report, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/curve-where-amtrak-train-derailed-in-washington-has-speed-limit-of-30-mph/, which has a picture from above - a very sharp curve indeed.

I'm sure the curvature is greatly exaggerated by the foreshortening effect of a long lens...

Seen from above, it's still quite a bend for a train.

There have been a lot of overspeed accidents recently, and the main three I can think of have two big common factors. The three are SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) Eckwersheim Nov 2015, Amtrak Philadelphia May 2015, and Renfe Santiago de Compostela July 2013.

Firstly, all these trains could or should have had some train control system that would prevent overspeeding, by warning the driver or intervening. It was variously turned off for testing, missing transitionally, and for Amtrak "OK, we're doing it but give us a year or two more" still applies for the latest one. When the NTSB reported on Amtrak Passenger Train 188, the chairman commented “Unless positive train control is implemented soon, I’m very concerned that we’re going to be back in this room again, hearing investigators detail how technology that we have recommended for more than 45 years could have prevented yet another fatal rail accident.”

The other common factor in the first three is distraction. Phone calls, radio messages, and too many people in the cab all played a part in "loss of situational awareness". I will not be surprised if this inaugural trip over a new section of track involved something similar. Otherwise, the new track only has one very noticeable feature in it - a sharp bend  following a long straight.

[froome]

One commentator I heard last night said the US has a very bad track record of train accidents. Is that the case? If so, any reason why?

[grahame]

One commentator I heard last night said the US has a very bad track record of train accidents. Is that the case? If so, any reason why?

There do seem to be an awful lot of them.  Whether that's because ATC^▸ (Automatic Train Control) only operates on a few lines and there are large numbers of open level crossings, or simply because it's such a huge country and accidents per mile are no worse than elsewhere, I wouldn't know.    Obviously, if you have a line 10 miles long that carried 1500 journeys a day, it's a lot cheaper to maintain than a line 100 miles long with the same number of journeys, so things seem not to be quite so gold-safety plated as in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).

[Tim]

It is reported that two of the people to die were train fans and public transport advocates who had been involved in campaigning for improvements on the route on which they dies.  Terribly sad http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/2-rail-buffs-killed-in-wreck-couldn-t-wait-for-12443648.php

[grahame]

Quoting a little more in tribute

SEATTLE (AP) — They weren't just two guys who loved trains. Jim Hamre and Zack Willhoite were also bosom buddies in their passion for public transportation who had excitedly awaited the day higher-speed trains could zip through their home turf. The two pals hopped on an Amtrak train together Monday, becoming some of the first passengers to take the maiden voyage of a faster route between Portland, Oregon, and Seattle.

Hamre, 61, and Willhoite, 35, were among the three killed when the train going 80 mph in a 30 mph zone derailed south of Seattle and toppled some cars on a highway below. Dozens of others were hurt, some seriously.

Family and friends said Tuesday that they were devastated by the deaths, describing the men as devoted rail advocates who were loved by many. They were both knowledgeable about the technical aspects of trains and had spent their lives advocating for such a route.

"Yesterday was a moment of great happiness for them, which makes this so heartbreaking," said Carl Fowler, a friend who has worked with Hamre and Willhoite in rail advocacy for years. He added: "Despite yesterday's tragedy, the Cascade corridor that they built will be their monument."

[didcotdean]

One commentator I heard last night said the US has a very bad track record of train accidents. Is that the case? If so, any reason why?

Per train-kilometre the USA mortality rate is twice that of the EU^» (European Union - about) average and about five times that in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) (source: OECD).

Using a different measure, on average to experience any kind of injury on a train ride in France or Germany you would need to travel roughly 50 times further than in the USA. For further perspective this is still over 80,000 miles.

[SandTEngineer]

An update (22/12/2017):

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-state-no-passenger-trains-on-amtrak-derailment-route-until-safety-systems-are-in-place

Washington state transportation officials won’t restart passenger service along the rail line where an Amtrak train derailed until advanced safety systems are in place, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

Barbara LaBoe, a spokeswoman for the Washington state Department of Transportation, said passenger trains will use the older rail line along the coast until “positive train control” technology is ready for the Point Defiance Bypass route.

The Amtrak train that derailed on Monday, killing three people and injuring dozens more, was on its inaugural passenger run along the new bypass line that was to speed service south of Tacoma. Investigators still examining the cause of the crash say the train was traveling 80 mph when it entered a curve that has a speed limit of 30 mph.

Officials pushed 'aggressive' timeline before safety tech was ready.

Here’s what we know — and don’t know — about the derailment near Olympia
It took authorities hours to search the wreckage.

Train was 50 mph over limit when it derailed at curve before I-5 crossing

Longtime rail advocates among those killed

Lakewood mayor had predicted new Amtrak rail line would lead to fatalities.

Man pulled gun on motorist taking food to Amtrak derailment first responders, prosecutors say

Positive train control systems can detect a train that’s exceeding speed limits and slow the train. Crews have been working to set up those systems on the Point Defiance Bypass route — and had hoped to have it ready at the start of service — but were still in the testing phase this week.

Officials had been working on an “aggressive” timeline to finish the new line this year, with documents showing the state had a deadline of the middle of the year to finish construction in order to fully collect on federal stimulus money awarded years earlier. The state had also vowed to open service in the fall.

LaBoe said the decision to halt passenger service on the new route until the systems were in place was not an indication that the state considers the tracks unsafe. She said the new line had been thoroughly inspected and that it was a matter of sensitivity, for those killed in the tragedy and for those who will ride the route in the future. She also said officials were wanting to have renewed conversations with communities along the new route.

“It’s not a question of the safety of those tracks,” LaBoe said. The older route where trains will continue running also does not have the train-control technology, but LaBoe said the state has been operating there for many years without major issues.

LaBoe said the state didn’t know when the train-control systems would be ready for the new line. A spokesman for Sound Transit, which owns the tracks, has said it’s planning to activate the technology before the end of June. Sound Transit has also been working to get more train-control coverage for its Sounder trains.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating this week’s derailment, has long pushed for train-control systems, repeatedly citing the issue after deadly crashes. In 2008, Congress mandated that railroads use the computerized systems by the end of 2015. But, facing cost and implementation challenges, the industry convinced Congress to extend the deadline until the end of 2018.

Accidents have continued to draw attention to the issue, and some have had speed similarities similar to Monday’s crash. In 2013, a Metro-North passenger train in New York derailed while traveling 82 mph at a curve where the maximum authorized speed was 30 mph, according to the NTSB, killing four people and injuring dozens. In 2015, an Amtrak passenger train in Philadelphia derailed while traveling 106 mph around a curve where the speed was restricted to 50 mph, according to the NTSB, killing eight people and injuring many more.

[Electric train]

This youtube video has some interesting clips and photos and a segment on "PTC"  we would call it ETCS^▸ (European Train Control System) level 2.

You'll have to excuse the presenter he is American, a youtuber and not a professional reporter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv8PEG0hcbQ

[grahame]

The personal story of someone who was on the train ...

https://transitsleuth.com/2017/12/21/the-story-on-amtrak-cascades-train-501-derailment/amp/

Long piece - but worth taking the time to read to learn how things panned out ...

[grahame]

The personal story of someone who was on the train ...

https://transitsleuth.com/2017/12/21/the-story-on-amtrak-cascades-train-501-derailment/amp/

Long piece - but worth taking the time to read to learn how things panned out ...

The American way of accident investigation in the open leads to a further drip out of evidence of what went wrong to the media.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonwells/amtrak-engineer-knew-train-was-going-too-fast

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5207893/Curve-emergency-brakes-played-role-Amtrak-crash.html

[SandTEngineer]

Oh dear......

The train was equipped with Positive Train Control, a technology that uses GPS to monitor and automatically slow trains down in potentially dangerous situations, but the system had not yet been certified for use, officials said.

I wonder why?

[Electric train]

This youtube video is of the commissioning runs 7 Dec 17.   The interesting thing to look for is the "bogies" under the coaches, they are an articulated type nothing unusual although not used in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) except Eurostar 373.  Its still usual to see twin axel bogies supporting the 2 carriage's, however if you look at the youtube video you will notice a single axel supporting 2 carriages.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zv3dSuarXE

The initial reports indicate excessive speed some 50 mph over the limit as the cause, I do wonder if the single axel contributed to the magnitude of the derailment also the fact there was a 120 ton plus locomotive attached to the rear. 

I am sure the USA TSB will look to see if the above added to the accident