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

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

One now being reported dead, 51 injured in hospital, 3 critical

Driver survived, one of the injured

[broadgage]

Later reports on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) TV news implied that the installation of some new safety system that could probably have prevented this accident was "underway but not yet completed at the location of the accident"

"positive train control" If I heard it correctly, sounds a bit similar in scope and purpose to TPWS^▸ (Train Protection and Warning System).

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Hoboken station crash: New Jersey train disaster 'kills one'

One person has been killed and 108 others injured, some of them critically, after a commuter train crashed into a railway station in the US state of New Jersey.

The train reportedly went through ticket barriers and into the reception area of Hoboken station.

Images show extensive damage to the train carriages and station, with part of the building roof caved in.

Witnesses described a scene of horror at the station.

A huge emergency services operation swung into action following the crash, with firefighters and transport staff helping people from wrecked carriages.

Hoboken is across the Hudson River from New York City. Many commuters use the busy station to travel into Manhattan.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie confirmed there had been one fatality. Earlier reports said three people had died.

"We're not going to speculate on the cause of the accident," Governor Christie said at a news conference.

Mr Christie added that the person killed in the accident was struck by debris while standing on a platform. He did not provide more details on the victim.

Mark Cardona was on the platform at the time. The "runaway" train missed me by 10-15 feet (3-5m), he told the BBC. There was "absolutely zero chance to react", Mr Cardona said. "It went full speed into and then through the building. I froze. People were screaming... The ceiling started to collapse. I ran for my life."

Ben Fairclough, a witness who was at the station, told the BBC: "I wasn't on the train, but I arrived just after it happened. There was water coming down off the roof and people climbing out through the windows. There were people sitting down with blood coming from their head. There were lots of injuries."

US rail safety

In 2008 the US Congress passed a law requiring all trains to install Positive Train Control (PTC) systems by the end of 2015.

But most rail companies were unable to meet the deadline as the system is expensive and complex to install. Some rail lines - including New Jersey Transit - threatened to shut down completely if it was enforced. In response, Congress extended the deadline to install PTC systems to 2018.

Rail lines can then apply for an additional two-year extension to finalise updates and test the system. But safety targets for New Jersey's commuter trains say PTC installation should be completed by 2018.

According New Jersey Transit's most recent PTC progress report, none of the 440 trains on the New Jersey Transit rail line are equipped with PTC, nor have any employees been trained on the equipment.

PTC safety systems are designed to automatically override the actions of train engineers if the locomotive is travelling too fast. In effect, they act as a safeguard against "human error" which could cause derailments or collisions.

The system uses wifi, GPS and a specific coding system to relay real-time information from trains to control centres.

Last year, the Guardian reported that US trains were far behind those in Europe, which have had automatic safety systems for years.

New Jersey Transit posted on Twitter that the service out of Hoboken station had been suspended as a result of the crash.


The train ploughed into the station


The roof of the station collapsed


Passengers fled wrecked carriages


Emergency workers treated the many wounded

[ChrisB]

That page has been updated to name the lady killed by flying debris on a platform. There's also a link to details on the safety system. The New Jersey Transit considered it too expensive to fit when first required by State legislators, so deadline was pushed out to 2018, with a further two year extension possible!

But at least no one killed on the train itself (yet)

[ChrisB]

Blimey! This thread is really far West!

[edit]was in Across the West thread when I posted this[/edit]

[Chris from Nailsea]

A valid comment, ChrisB: this topic was indeed on our 'The Wider Picture' board - until I renamed it, to clarify some facts of the sad incident as they became known.

I've now moved this topic back to where it belongs, with my apologies for any confusion. 

[Noggin]

That page has been updated to name the lady killed by flying debris on a platform. There's also a link to details on the safety system. The New Jersey Transit considered it too expensive to fit when first required by State legislators, so deadline was pushed out to 2018, with a further two year extension possible!

But at least no one killed on the train itself (yet)

The saga relating to PTC, which indeed, is similar to AWS^▸ (Automatic Warning System) and other systems that apply the brakes in the event of an overspeed/SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger). You can read more about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_train_control.

In many ways the fact that so few people were killed is down to the robust construction of US rolling stock, which of course is terrible for energy consumption and performance, but does help in tragic circumstances like these.

[SandTEngineer]

This looks really serious.  The train has derailed off an overbridge onto one of the state highways.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42401707

Train carriages have plummeted on to a motorway in Washington state, causing "multiple" fatalities, police say.

The train derailed and the carriages fell on to the I-5 highway below.

Images from the scene show emergency services treating people on the ground. It appears that at least four carriages have left the track; one of them is upside down on the highway.

Several cars on the highway were struck by the derailed carriages, the Pierce County Sheriff's department says.

Sheriff department spokesman Ed Troyer said that there were "multiple" fatalities on the train, but no motorists had been killed.

The fire department had taken many people out of the train and they had been taken to hospitals, he added.

One carriage was hanging from the tracks, while another was upside down
Passenger Chris Karnes, on board the train, said the carriage he was on careened down an embankment then came to a stop: "We could hear and feel the cars crumpling and breaking apart, and water came out from the ceiling."

"In order to get out... we had to kick out the emergency window," he said.

Amtrak said that there were approximately 78 passengers and five crew members on board the train.

The incident happened near DuPont, which is southwest of Tacoma.

Officials have set up a family reunification centre at DuPont city hall, and asked people not to come to the scene of the crash.

The was the first time an Amtrak train carrying passengers southbound had run on a new section of track running parallel to I-5, called the Point Defiance Bypass.

The crash occurred around 07:30 (15:30 GMT), about 45 minutes into train 501's journey between Portland and Seattle.

Before the crash, it was travelling at more than 80mph (130km/h).

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

[Oxonhutch]

As a part-time railwayman, something about this stinks. I'll leave it at that right now.

Condolences to all. Awful time.

[grahame]

I noted that the line opened ... today - https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Rail/PNWRC_PtDefiance/default.htm - and as such there will be some rather different factors to the norm to be considered.

Overview
The Point Defiance Bypass Project will reroute passenger trains to an inland rail line along the west side of I-5 through south Tacoma, Lakewood, and DuPont.  Sound Transit currently uses a portion of this route for Sounder commuter rail service to Lakewood.
This project will improve passenger train reliability by reducing congestion with freight trains and eliminating travel on tight corners and tunnels.

Why is WSDOT upgrading tracks for passenger trains to bypass the Point Defiance area in Tacoma?
Passenger trains, including Amtrak Cascades, currently must slow down due to curves and single-track tunnels on the BNSF Railway main line tracks near Point Defiance and along southern Puget Sound.

This project reroutes passenger trains to an inland route.  The bypass is on an existing rail line that runs along the west side of Interstate 5 (I-5), from south Tacoma through Lakewood and DuPont. It reconnects back to the BNSF Railway main line near Nisqually, on the east side of I-5. It also adds a new Amtrak Cascades station in Tacoma's Freighthouse Square building.

Freight train traffic patterns will not change with most freight trains continuing to use the existing main line near Point Defiance and along southern Puget Sound. The few freight trains that currently use the bypass route will continue to use it during and after the project.

The End Result
The end result is more frequent, more reliable, and faster Amtrak Cascades service.

The improvements will allow passenger trains to use the bypass route without being delayed by freight or Sounder trains. After the completion of other capital rail projects, two additional daily round trip passenger trains could be added. Freight train traffic will not increase on this line beyond the minimal amount that utilizes it today.

When completed, the Point Defiance Rail Bypass project will bring a total of six daily round trip Amtrak Cascades trains and one Coast Starlight train through Tacoma, Lakewood, and DuPont intersections, with an average crossing time of 45 seconds per intersection and a maximum speed of 79 mph.

Project Benefits

Improved Amtrak Cascades reliability.
Faster, more frequent Amtrak Cascades service.
 

What is the project timeline?
The environmental and design process began in July 2006, and was completed in 2008.
The new line opens to service on Dec. 18, 2017.

[stuving]

I saw that said this was a new bit of line. It is mostly straight, alongside I5, then does quite a sharp wiggle to cross it to the south side to join the old Point Defiance line. 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.

It looks as if the front of the train did leave the track to go straight on, down a slope to the road. As it slowed the following carriages concertinaed and some came off on the inside of the turn and so they came down the side of the embankment beside the bridge.

[trainer]

On this site we encourage people not to speculate on such accidents too much and often first impressions prove inadequate explanations.  However, according to several news sources (inc. The Independent and Sky News) President Trump has no such qualms and is already using (exploiting?) this awful tragedy to push his infrastructure agenda. An example of poor infrastructure or not, it's certainly not old and in need of replacement and one wonders how at such an early stage it can be used as an example of anything.

A very sad day for all concerned and as others have, I express my sympathy for the individuals caught up in it.

[grahame]

On this site we encourage people not to speculate on such accidents too much and often first impressions prove inadequate explanations.  However, according to several news sources (inc. The Independent and Sky News) President Trump has no such qualms and is already using (exploiting?) this awful tragedy to push his infrastructure agenda. An example of poor infrastructure or not, it's certainly not old and in need of replacement and one wonders how at such an early stage it can be used as an example of anything.

A very sad day for all concerned and as others have, I express my sympathy for the individuals caught up in it.

Mr Trump's suggestion that this shows the need for infrastructure modernisation seems to be at odds with what is being said elsewhere.   True, we don't speculate before anything's know here ... but so much is bang said and talked about that I'm going to quote  an online sources.

From ApNews

DUPONT, Wash. (AP) — An Amtrak train making the first-ever run along a faster new route hurtled off an overpass south of Seattle on Monday and spilled some of its cars onto the highway below, killing at least three people, injuring dozens and crushing two vehicles, authorities said.

Attention quickly turned to the train’s speed. A website that maps location and speed using data from Amtrak’s train tracker app showed the train was going 81.1 mph (129 kph) about a quarter of a mile from the point where it derailed, where the speed limit is significantly lower.

There were 80 passengers and five on duty crew when the train derailed and pulled 13 cars off the tracks. Authorities said there were three confirmed deaths. More than 70 people were taken for medical care — including 10 with serious injuries.

About two hours after the accident, a U.S. official who was briefed on the investigation said he was told at least six people were killed. The official said he had no new information to explain the discrepancy in the numbers.

The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

A track chart prepared by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows the maximum speed drops from 79 mph (127 kph) to 30 mph (48 kph) for passenger trains just before the tracks curve to cross Interstate 5, which is where the train went off the tracks.

The chart, dated Feb. 7, 2017, was submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration in anticipation of the start of passenger service along a new bypass route that shaves 10 minutes off the trip between Seattle and Portland.

It was not clear how fast the train was moving at the precise moment when it derailed. National Transportation Safety Board investigators were at the scene trying to determine the derailment’s cause.

Kimberly Reason with Sound Transit, the Seattle-area transit agency that owns the tracks, confirmed to the AP that the speed limit at the point where the train derailed is 30 mph (48 kph). Speed signs are posted two miles before the speed zone and just before the speed zone approaching the curve, she said.

Positive train control — the technology that can slow or stop a speeding train — wasn’t in use on this stretch of track, according to Amtrak President Richard Anderson.

He spoke on a conference call with reporters, said he was “deeply saddened by all that has happened today.”

Bob Chipkevich, a former NTSB director of railroad, pipeline and hazardous materials investigations, told The Seattle Times the crash looked like a high-speed derailment based on television images.

In a radio transmission immediately after the accident, the conductor can be heard saying the train was coming around a corner and was crossing a bridge that passed over Interstate 5 when it derailed. Dispatch audio also indicated that the engineer survived with bleeding from the head and both eyes swollen shut.

“I’m still figuring that out. We’ve got cars everywhere and down onto the highway,” he tells the dispatcher, who asks if everyone is OK.

[grahame]

And from The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) ... new text at the top into which I suspect they've pasted background from yesterday

A US passenger train that derailed, killing three people, was going at 81mph (130km/h) on a curve with a restricted speed limit, according to data from a train tracking website.The curve's speed limit drops to 30mph.Passengers say the train rocked and creaked as it took the bend fast before barrelling off a bridge on to a motorway packed with traffic.

It happened in Washington state during rush hour on Monday and officials say 72 people were taken to hospitals.

A number of those injured are reported to be in a critical condition. Authorities said all carriages had now been searched, but would not rule out a rise in the number of dead.

The cause of Monday's crash has not been confirmed. Seven vehicles, two of them lorries, were hit on the I-5 highway below. Several people were injured in their vehicles but none died.

State transport spokesperson Barbara LaBoe was quoted in the Seattle Times newspaper as saying the limit on most of the track was 79mph (128km/h) but drivers were supposed to slow dramatically at the spot where the train derailed.
She said warning signs were in place two miles before the lowered limit.

It was Amtrak's first passenger service to run on a new, shorter route. Amtrak is the name of the company that runs most passenger trains in the US, with some government funding. The derailment happened on a section of track previously only used for freight trains.

Train 501 had left Seattle, heading south for Portland, at 06:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

One passenger carriage could be seen dangling from the bridge, while others were strewn across the road and the wooded area next to the track.There were 86 people on board, including 77 passengers and seven Amtrak crew members, as well as a train technician. Police say 19 people were taken from the scene uninjured. Of the 72 transferred to hospitals for evaluation, 10 were considered to have serious injuries.

A recording of the train's emergency call to railway dispatchers was released to US media.
"Emergency! We are on the ground!" a man, possibly the conductor, radios in.
In a second radio call, another crew member reports that only the rear unit remains on the rails.
"All other cars appear to be on the ground in quite a mess," he says.
The train's engineer has a head injury, he tells dispatchers.

President Donald Trump's first reaction to the derailment was to tweet that it showed the need for his forthcoming infrastructure plan. However US media outlets pointed out his submitted federal transportation budget actually proposed cuts to funding to national rail systems. He later added that his thoughts and prayers were with those involved.

The section of track where the crash happened has been recently rebuilt and upgraded using federal funds.

Washington's governor has declared a state of emergency in two counties.

Passenger Chris Karnes, on board the train, said his carriage had careered down an embankment then come to a stop: "We could hear and feel the cars crumpling and breaking apart, and water came out from the ceiling." "In order to get out... we had to kick out the emergency window," he added.

Governor Jay Inslee said he was praying for the many injured. Officials set up a family reunification centre at DuPont city hall and asked people not to come to the scene of the crash.

A local news reporter who was on the train, but got off at a stop just before the crash, said many of those on board were railway enthusiasts, keen to experience the first high-speed train on the new route. Every passenger was given a commemorative lanyard and badge to mark their journey, he said.

The train involved was operated by Amtrak and Monday's service was the first 0600 departure under the new timetable and on the new Point Defiance Bypass route

The train consisted of 14 cars, two of which were locomotives

It was being led by a Siemens Charger locomotive and was trailing a P52 unit which was not under power, Amtrak said

There were 12 Talgo carriages, each of which could take up to 36 passengers, but only 77 customers were on board

[TonyK]

Whatever the cause, it is an awful accident. It is amazing, however, that it wasn't worse. Despite carriages falling onto a busy road in rush hour, no-one outside the train seems to have died as a result of this incident.