Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Amtrak derailment news update




A track chart prepared by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows the maximum speed drops from 79 mph to 30 mph 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.


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. Speed signs are posted 2 miles before the speed zone changes 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.

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/national-international/Amtrak-Train-Derails-Washington-State-464970443.html?_osource=Newltr_Station_Hdlines_SanDiego
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amtrak-derailment-train-crashes-near-tacoma-washington-n830751

Federal Railroad Administration statistics show that in recent years Amtrak has had an average of about two derailments a month
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/us/amtrak-derailments.html

so there it is, to get 10 minutes shaved from a Seattle to Portland run, then were going to have "high speed" at 80 mph trains, and didn't actually test the system, or the route.

The positive train control measures weren't operating, and the emergency doors weren't operating, and the 30 mph zone wasn't known to the train operator/engineer/driver

Complete and total fuck up. Hey Amtrak? You're fired. You can't do anything right.

2 comments:

  1. This happened a few months ago... same style of car set... same region...

    http://www.oil-electric.com/2017/07/test-three.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WHOA! That's nuts! Thanks! Adding that to the coverage!

      Delete