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

[whole diary]

[stuving]

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.

The initial reports did say the carriages were made by Talgo, so the use of what is their signature design feature isn't a surprise. They are longer than the original Spansih ones, though.

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 

The fixed structural pivots of the articulated bogie (even with one axle) should hold the carriages upright much better than any coupling, though once the train concertinas that effect no longer operates over the full length of the train.

The analysis after the "Polmont Cow" didn't support the idea that having a light trailer at the front made derailment easier, let alone that having mass at the rear would. I think the key point is whether and where the train concertinas, and that is due to the back overrunning the front. Once the lead carriages are running off the track they must slow down fast, probably much faster even than brakes can on the track. I suspect the mass of half a train pushing a carriage, when its front end is being pushed back and sideways by the half that's derailed and now slowing, would be enough to produce this kind of opposite-side derailment.

After the Polmont Cow accident (I was living in Bo'ness, which is very close, in 1984) my thought was that having a heavy lead vehicle, which would decelerate slower than the trailers behind it, would be a good idea. That ought to pull the derailed part of the consist straight and so resist it concertaing, which at Polmont the leading DVT^‡(resolve) clearly didn't.

[SandTEngineer]

There is an interesting report from somebody aboard the derailed train: https://transitsleuth.com/2017/12/21/the-story-on-amtrak-cascades-train-501-derailment

[grahame]

Yet another USA rail accident fatality     ...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/train-carrying-members-congress-involved-accident/story?id=52741522

With many members of the US congress on the train, this will bring rather graphically the whole matter of rail safety to their notice ...

[broadgage]

Early reports suggest two lives lost in a collision between a passenger train and a freight train.
These are very early reports and may later prove inaccurate.

Source is BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) news website "breaking news"

Edited to add slightly later and more detailed report.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42935764

[Chris from Nailsea]

With thanks to broadgage for starting this latest, very sad, topic - it is now confirmed that the death toll is two.

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

South Carolina Amtrak crash: Two killed after trains collide

An Amtrak train carrying 147 people has collided with a goods train in the US state of South Carolina, killing two people and injuring 116 others.

The two fatalities were both members of Amtrak staff, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has confirmed.

He said the incident - the latest in a series in recent years - should trigger a national debate about rail safety.

Just four days ago, a lorry driver was killed when his vehicle hit a train carrying lawmakers in Virginia.

The South Carolina crash happened at 02:35 local time (07:35 GMT) in the town of Cayce, just outside the state capital Columbia. The train was travelling from New York and heading for Miami, when it hit the goods train, causing its lead engine and several carriages to derail.

Governor McMaster said it appeared the Amtrak train had been on the wrong track at the time of the crash.


Officials are trying to find out what led to the collision

The American Red Cross sent rescue workers to the scene of the collision, and emergency services say all passengers have been evacuated from the train.

Mr McMaster said 116 people were taken to hospital for treatment. An emergency official earlier told reporters the injuries ranged in severity from small scratches to broken bones.

A shelter has been set up at a nearby school for passengers to get assistance.

According to Amtrak, 139 passengers and eight staff members were aboard the train. According to Governor McMaster, no-one was aboard the goods train, run by freight operator CSX. He said it was stationary on track at the time of the crash.

An estimated 5,000 gallons (22,000 litres) of fuel was spilled from the CSX train but emergency officials said there was no threat to the public.

"The incident is very near the state farmers' market and other residential areas but right now, everyone is safe," Derrec Becker, a spokesman at for the state emergency department, said.

One passenger, Derek Pettaway, told CNN he had been travelling from Philadelphia to Orlando in a sleeper cabin when he had been awoken by the impact of the crash.

The train's staff evacuated passengers in a "really calm fashion", he said.



The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the incident.

President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and tweeted that his thoughts and prayers were with the victims.

South Carolina senator Tim Scott wrote on Twitter: "My prayers are with the families of those killed in the train crash in Lexington County this morning, and hoping for the best for all those injured. South Carolina is with you all!"

Concerns about safety standards on the US rail network have been raised after a number of fatal train crashes in recent years:
- February 2018: Crozet, Virginia. A lorry driver died after his vehicle hit a chartered Amtrak train carrying Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan
- December 2017: Seattle, Washington. Three people killed when a passenger train plunged off a bridge after hitting a 30mph (50km/h) curve at 80mph
- March 2017 - Biloxi, Mississippi. Four people died when the bus they were travelling in got stuck on train tracks and was hit by a freight train
- May 2015 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A passenger train derailed, killing eight people
- January 2015 - Austin, Texas. A prison bus carrying 12 inmates and three officers skidded off a bridge and hit a freight train, killing 10 people on the bus
- December 2013 - The Bronx, New York City. Four people died when the driver of a passenger train fell asleep and the train took a 30mph curve at 82mph, then derailed

[grahame]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said the incident should "begin a conversation" about rail safety.

The conversation should have begun a long time ago ...

[grahame]

From West Palm Beach TV  (my usual Friday evening channel - NOT) at https://www.wptv.com/news/state/brightline-virgin-form-strategic-partnership

Brightline, Virgin form strategic partnership; Brightline will be called Virgin Trains USA

Brightline has announced that it has formed a strategic partnership and trademark licensing agreement with the Virgin Group.

It says the agreement will establish a new brand and will rename itself Virgin Trains USA this month.

Virgin will make a minority investment in Brightline, which will still be managed and operated by Brightline’s executive team as well as affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, the rail service said.

“Virgin has built a respected and trusted brand in travel and hospitality.  With our shared focus on customer experience, powered by a culture of innovation and disruption, we are well positioned to build on our success," Brightline Chairman Wes Edens said in a statement.

Brightline is operating in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties and has been considering a stop on the Treasure Coast.

It also has plans to expand into Orlando and Tampa.

[grahame]

From Sky News

Up to 30 carriages have fallen on to a highway in Georgia after a train derailed on a bridge, according to US authorities.

The entire population of Byromville - about 500 people - was evacuated following the accident, which happened at around 7am local time.

Operator CSX Railroad has confirmed that the train had 72 loaded carriages and 69 empty ones.

No injuries have been reported but several roads have been closed in the area, with traffic being diverted as police assess the damage.

I am translating from American as I read this and changing "Carriages" to "Wagons".

[Electric train]

http://time.com/5458065/georgia-evacuated-train-derailment/



https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article221830850.html

[grahame]

From Supply Management

A lack of contractor control has been blamed in an auditor’s report for California’s bullet train project seeing billions of dollars of cost overruns and significant delays.

In a report state auditor Elaine Howle said the California High‑Speed Rail Authority, in an effort to beat deadlines for spending federal grant funds, began awarding contracts long before it had finished planning or assessing potential risks to cost and schedule.

And a lack of oversight of contractors was firmly blamed for pushing up costs at the project which, while it has secured $28bn in funding, is now anticipated to cost a likely $77bn.

The train has been mooted as an alternative to expanding airports and building new freeways to meet growing demand, especially for travel between the state’s key areas such as Silicon Valley and the Central Valley as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

But delays and cost overruns have led to it being dubbed “the bullet train to nowhere”.

[Article Continues]

How do the California figures compare to major electrification and high speed projects in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) ... in total terms, and in per-mid terms?

[Noggin]

From Supply Management

A lack of contractor control has been blamed in an auditor’s report for California’s bullet train project seeing billions of dollars of cost overruns and significant delays.

In a report state auditor Elaine Howle said the California High‑Speed Rail Authority, in an effort to beat deadlines for spending federal grant funds, began awarding contracts long before it had finished planning or assessing potential risks to cost and schedule.

And a lack of oversight of contractors was firmly blamed for pushing up costs at the project which, while it has secured $28bn in funding, is now anticipated to cost a likely $77bn.

The train has been mooted as an alternative to expanding airports and building new freeways to meet growing demand, especially for travel between the state’s key areas such as Silicon Valley and the Central Valley as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

But delays and cost overruns have led to it being dubbed “the bullet train to nowhere”.

[Article Continues]

How do the California figures compare to major electrification and high speed projects in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) ... in total terms, and in per-mid terms?

Dunno but it was possibly not helped by the absence until recently of Federal standards for high-speed rail, which has perhaps had an impact, not to mention that there's no supply chain for such construction.

A more directly comparable project is the CalTrain modernisation/electrification - US$2bn for 82km of PTC and electrification, and a few new Stadler double-deck EMUs^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit). Makes the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) seem like a bargain, doesn't it?

[grahame]

Came across a series of interesting transport projects no longer in use ... including some that never made it into use, at Urban Ghost Media

Cincinnati seems an unlikely place for anything to be kept a secret, let alone the largest abandoned subway system in the United States. But that’s exactly what lurks beneath the streets of this inoffensive Ohio town: a vast network of abandoned tunnels and half-finished stations testifying to one of the city’s many long-lost dreams.

Cincinnati is a little larger than Plymouth and considerably smaller than Bristol ...

[rogerpatenall]

Exploring Cincinnati early one morning, I found myself inside the massive Riverfront stadium. A Janitor came over to see who I was. "What's the capacity?" I asked. "Well" he replied. "When it's full, of course". Ask a silly question. . .

[TaplowGreen]

Came across a series of interesting transport projects no longer in use ... including some that never made it into use, at Urban Ghost Media

Cincinnati seems an unlikely place for anything to be kept a secret, let alone the largest abandoned subway system in the United States. But that’s exactly what lurks beneath the streets of this inoffensive Ohio town: a vast network of abandoned tunnels and half-finished stations testifying to one of the city’s many long-lost dreams.

Cincinnati is a little larger than Plymouth and considerably smaller than Bristol ...

Don't tempt Tudor Evans.

[Bmblbzzz]

Don't USA cities have a lot more autonomy, both in planning and finance, than their UK^▸ (United Kingdom) equivalents? It might be interesting to compare the geology as well.