Two trains collide in DC

[Terzo]

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: Terzo
According to this one train rear ended another. They also say that metro trains generally travel around 44 mph; I don't know if the train was traveling at this speed or was able to slow down at least a little.

Hmm, the "cruise speed" on Metro (when it's traveling outside the city) feels faster than 44mph to me. I've been on trains that have passed slower freeway traffic (~55mph?). Hard to judge the speed when it's in the city and underground.

Apparently I fail at reading comprehension; it states "Metro trains typically run through the station around 44 miles per hour." I'm not sure exactly what that means, since they have to stop somewhere...but it's also possible they post higher speeds between stations.

 

[dabuddha]

Crazy shit. I was in the train that was in front of the one that got rear ended. It was chaos down there because they made us all unload and it was just a mass of people on the platform and then outside when they made us get out. Sad so many people died :/

 

[drum]

Originally posted by: dabuddha
Crazy shit. I was in the train that was in front of the one that got rear ended. It was chaos down there because they made us all unload and it was just a mass of people on the platform and then outside when they made us get out. Sad so many people died :/

:shocked:
Glad you were on that train and not the other

 

[SP33Demon]

Wow dabuddha, you are lucky. Here's a /beer dude.

Some of my coworkers take the Red line, lucky for them yesterday was their day off. I always joke with them that the red is even more crappy than the green line, it's the most delayed line out of the 5.

For those saying that the cars only do 44mph, I know for a fact that on the Orange Line between East/West Falls to Ballston along 66West it easily paces and even goes faster than cars that are doing 60mph; I took that line for a year straight. I always marveled at how we were going faster than the traffic in non-rush hour, so we were easily doing 65 to 70mph. But not sure if that's the same for Red, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were doing 55mph from the looks of that wreckage.

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: dabuddha
Crazy shit. I was in the train that was in front of the one that got rear ended. It was chaos down there because they made us all unload and it was just a mass of people on the platform and then outside when they made us get out. Sad so many people died :/

Wow...so much for biggestmuff's "I doubt an ATOTer was on one of those." Luckily you weren't one train back. How did you get home with the Red Line shut down?

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
For those saying that the cars only do 44mph, I know for a fact that on the Orange Line between East/West Falls to Ballston along 66West it easily paces and even goes faster than cars that are doing 60mph; I took that line for a year straight. I always marveled at how we were going faster than the traffic in non-rush hour, so we were easily doing 65 to 70mph. But not sure if that's the same for Red, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were doing 55mph from the looks of that wreckage.

That was pretty much exactly my experience when I rode that section of the Orange Line -- coming up, out of the tunnel into daylight and then steadily passing the reverse commute traffic moving on 66.

 

[ViviTheMage]

wow...I am surprised. I thought our train systems were pretty good about this stuff.

 

[ivan2]

damn that sucks, reminds me to never take the front and rear cart.

 

[biggestmuff]

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Wow...so much for biggestmuff's "I doubt an ATOTer was on one of those." Luckily you weren't one train back. How did you get home with the Red Line shut down?

He wasn't on the train. Am I wrong yet?

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
wow...I am surprised. I thought our train systems were pretty good about this stuff.

Not really. The Metro is really run badly.

Why is it a Tech can strip a escalator down in less than a day but it sits apart for a week or longer waiting for common parts that are used on all of them?

How is it an elevator can be broke for a month or longer?

How can a train stop to close or far away from where it is supposed to? Then they blame there are more cars now and the operators I guess were not told/trained?

The complain about not having funds to do basic repairs but have money to install new seat covers and then pay a company to do surveys? I don?t care if the seats are vinyl or cloth. I just want to get from point A to B in a timely and safe fashion.

And on and on?

Metro needs all new management. Do to it what the DC school system did. Get 1 person from the outside and put them in charge with power over the entire system. Make the changes and let then cut the fat as needed.

 

[Ricochet]

My condolences to the families of the casualties.

I hope things get straightened out as this weekend will be my first visit to DC. The Holocaust Museum shooting and this crash really put a damper on my enthusiasm.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: dabuddha
Crazy shit. I was in the train that was in front of the one that got rear ended. It was chaos down there because they made us all unload and it was just a mass of people on the platform and then outside when they made us get out. Sad so many people died :/

Wow...so much for biggestmuff's "I doubt an ATOTer was on one of those." Luckily you weren't one train back. How did you get home with the Red Line shut down?

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
For those saying that the cars only do 44mph, I know for a fact that on the Orange Line between East/West Falls to Ballston along 66West it easily paces and even goes faster than cars that are doing 60mph; I took that line for a year straight. I always marveled at how we were going faster than the traffic in non-rush hour, so we were easily doing 65 to 70mph. But not sure if that's the same for Red, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were doing 55mph from the looks of that wreckage.

That was pretty much exactly my experience when I rode that section of the Orange Line -- coming up, out of the tunnel into daylight and then steadily passing the reverse commute traffic moving on 66.

Took about an hour but was finally able to find a shuttle bus taking people down to union station. From there I was able to catch my VRE. It was chaotic though at Fort Totten, WMATA only had 1 employee outside directing buses. No bull horn or nothing so no one really knew where each bus was going so the masses were lining up at each bus until they were turned away.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
:Q oh my. I just found out about this :Q

<--takes red line everyday at union station everyday.

Sadly I suspect the age of the system might be at fault since strange and random behavior is now a normal occurrence on the aging fleet (door issues, frequent delays on the orange line last year due to trains that skipped tracks, disabled trains on the orange line, weird braking issues, etc).

I travel the world and have never seen a metro as bad as that in Washington...and unfortunately it is good compared to many in the US.

the metro itself is very clean and orderly but the actual mechanics of the trains are in pathetic shape. it's pretty obvious that when there are enough reports of doors not closing and disabled trains among other things MULTIPLE times per week that people ignore it, something's wrong.


I really hope this helps them get the funding that they so desperately need. annoyances are one thing but it's at another level now.

I think MD and VA need to get on board, pardon the pun. They seem to be the worst when it comes to consider funding. DC can't do it alone.

Edit: Perhaps stop the DC to Dulles project and instead fund new equipment.

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that as the Dulles project is classified as a "New Start" and derives 50% of it's funding from the feds and the balance from the capital side of the transit agencies budget (probably paid for by bonds specific to the project).

There are a lot of old cars running around on train systems in this country because there isn't funding to replace them or overhaul. Chicago took delivery of it's newest cars almost 16 years ago and we still have active rolling stock going on 42 years (of a 30 year design life).

 

[Baked]

It's up to 9 dead and they're still digging out bodies from the wreckage. Ouch.

 

[RoloMather]

Originally posted by: Baked
It's up to 9 dead and they're still digging out bodies from the wreckage. Ouch.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Spokeswoman Debbie Hersman

The struck train, an upgraded newer train, has nine data recorders, she said. The train that hit it, composed of Metro's oldest cars, has no data recorders, she said.

After accidents in 2004 and 2006, NTSB found that the older cars had "a fundamental flaw" in their design that put passengers at risk during a collision. NTSB had recommended that Metro either retrofit its older trains or phase them out, Hersman said. Metro did neither, she said. She characterized Metro's response to the recommendations as "unacceptable."

 

[SP33Demon]

Basically on the news last night they said it was around a 59mph zone that the train hit, which is around the speed I was thinking. That's pretty dam fast...

And she said that the 1000 series cars (the ones in the striking train) are from the 70's/early 80's. WTF? Just for reference, they're on the 6000 series now which were made 2000 and on. /sigh

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Basically on the news last night they said it was around a 59mph zone that the train hit, which is around the speed I was thinking. That's pretty dam fast...

And she said that the 1000 series cars (the ones in the striking train) are from the 70's/early 80's. WTF? Just for reference, they're on the 6000 series now which were made 2000 and on. /sigh

What's also scary is that they're saying the emergency brake button on the striking train was engaged but the riders are saying they didn't feel the train slow down at all before the impact. Needless to say, I'm riding in the middle cars from now on. Always used to get in the back car in order to make it easier to get to my train at union station.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: dabuddha

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Basically on the news last night they said it was around a 59mph zone that the train hit, which is around the speed I was thinking. That's pretty dam fast...

And she said that the 1000 series cars (the ones in the striking train) are from the 70's/early 80's. WTF? Just for reference, they're on the 6000 series now which were made 2000 and on. /sigh

What's also scary is that they're saying the emergency brake button on the striking train was engaged but the riders are saying they didn't feel the train slow down at all before the impact. Needless to say, I'm riding in the middle cars from now on. Always used to get in the back car in order to make it easier to get to my train at union station.

Yep, forgot about that. The conductor hit the E-Brake and the train was on auto-pilot so it must have been a computer malfunction in that train.

Yep, agree I'm not using the back or front cars anymore! Although only on the Red or Green Line (Orange is all new ).

 

[Tiamat]

Now there are reports that the brakes may have actually worked (bluing of the rotors). But, also, reason behind not replacing the 1000 series trains is they cost 3M$ each. They are trying to (slowly phase out), but the expense was just too great to phase them all out faster. I think they have about 300 of the 1000 series trains to be replaced.