Poll of the Day > Amtrak train derails on overpass in Washington, causing 'multiple fatalities'.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/18/571654675/amtrak-train-derails-on-overpass-in-washington-causing-multiple-fatalities

Updated at 12:33 p.m. ET

An Amtrak train has derailed on an overpass in Washington state, falling partly onto an interstate freeway east of Olympia. The Pierce County sheriff's office has confirmed that "injuries and casualties" have been reported on site, where at least one train car is dangling onto the major roadway.

There were "multiple fatalities" in the crash, according to Pierce County Sheriff's office spokesman Ed Troyer. He added that the fatalities were confined to the train itself and that it does not appear that any motorists were killed.

Amtrak identified the derailed vehicle as Train 501, which offers high-speed service from Seattle to Portland.

"Emergency services are on the scene and Amtrak management is responding," the company said in a statement. "Some injuries are reported."

"This was the first day this Amtrak train was going to start taking a more inland route following the freeway," NPR's Martin Kaste reports. "Before this, it used to kind of snake along the edge of Puget Sound but that slowed things down. This was supposed to be a faster, more direct route, but something clearly went wrong."

"We're praying for everyone on board the train, and ask everyone to hold them in your thoughts," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee tweeted, adding his thanks to first responders on the scene and a warning to motorists to avoid the "ongoing and serious situation."

This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.

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Thats crazy, sucks for everyone.

Also lmao zamgulus perfect post hahahaha
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Worth noting that they had another issue just back in July. Granted, Amtrak in general hasn't had a good "trak" record lately

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/12/18/amtraks-cascades-rail-lines-saw-derailment-july/961382001/
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Zeus posted...

Worth noting that they had another issue just back in July. Granted, Amtrak in general hasn't had a good "trak" record lately

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/12/18/amtraks-cascades-rail-lines-saw-derailment-july/961382001/

well damn, never riding amtrak.
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They were warned by the mayor that it wasnt safe enough. They were told that unless they installed more safety mechanisms, something would eventually happen and they'd have to justify not doing it then. It happened right away.

SushiSquid posted...

They were warned by the mayor that it wasnt safe enough. They were told that unless they installed more safety mechanisms, something would eventually happen and they'd have to justify not doing it then. It happened right away.

Yeah, the fact that those comments were made just earlier this month is what makes the tragedy really irritating.
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Zeus posted...

SushiSquid posted...

They were warned by the mayor that it wasnt safe enough. They were told that unless they installed more safety mechanisms, something would eventually happen and they'd have to justify not doing it then. It happened right away.

Yeah, the fact that those comments were made just earlier this month is what makes the tragedy really irritating.

This would and should literally be considered criminal negligence in this case.
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I agree. And it very well might be. It seems the train was going 80 MPH in an area that was rated for 30. Without a safety system called positive train control, this was allowed. It's a technology that's existed since the 70s and will automatically bring the train to the correct speed if a train operator fails to do that. It's just expensive to upgrade trains to have PTC.

SushiSquid posted...

It's just expensive to upgrade trains to have PTC.

The trains already have it. The doodads aren't scheduled to be installed in that run of track until late next year or so.

Dozens were injured, but the reported deaths are only 3. That's thankfully low for an entire train derailing into a highway.

Dozens were injured, but the reported death toll is only 3. That's thankfully low for an entire train derailing and one of the cars stopping, teetering over a highway.

The bigger issue is that trains are held to the tracks only by gravity.
Stealing some engineering from roller coasters should have happened ages ago.

Zangulus posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

The bigger issue is that trains are held to the tracks only by gravity.
Stealing some engineering from roller coasters should have happened ages ago.

Not really. The weight differential wouldnt keep a 2 inch top track from stopping a 200 ton locamotive, going at over twice the speed limit, from jumping tracks or flipping over.

Well, okay.
If anything, our disasters just change to metal fatigue on the tracks themselves.

Zangulus posted...

From the sounds of it, this happened because the train was loving at near 80mph around a curve set at 30mph. Either the system was faulty and the engineer couldnt slow down, didnt slow down for some reason, or because they could have saved lives by installing the PTC.

It was the first run, so incompetence at some point along the way is pretty much a given.
I'd baselessly guess the engineer didn't know he was supposed to slow the train, for some reason.

Zangulus posted...

And this would have all been avoided had the PTC been installed to automatically slow down the train...

Why do we even have engineers anymore? Trains should have been automated by now.

The Titanic Part 2: Buckle In.

Questionmarktarius posted...

The bigger issue is that trains are held to the tracks only by gravity.

Trains are really freaking heavy. "Only by gravity" is kind of downplaying just how much force gravity exerts on them.
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adjl posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

The bigger issue is that trains are held to the tracks only by gravity.

Trains are really freaking heavy. "Only by gravity" is kind of downplaying just how much force gravity exerts on them.

Individual cars are more relevant than the whole assembly. One of them gets some angular momentum or starts coming apart, and pretty much every car after is falling off the rail.

The only viable options are to slow down, or straighten the curves. The latter probably isn't very viable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFyipw5s3fA
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Questionmarktarius posted...

Zangulus posted...

And this would have all been avoided had the PTC been installed to automatically slow down the train...

Why do we even have engineers anymore? Trains should have been automated by now.

Always wondered that myself, tbh, although you'd need somebody there for issues that the automated systems don't catch.
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