Kalifornien: Metrolink lokaltåg krockade med UP godståg

[Zill]

KNX Newsradio: Feds Not Ready Yet, to Accept Metrolink's Assessment

The Metrolink engineer was employed by Connex Railroad, a subsidiary of Veolia Transportation, which said it began operating Metrolink routes in 2005. The company issued a brief statement saying it was "fully cooperating'' with investigators.

Metrolink's assertion that engineer error caused the accident drew some criticism.

Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metrolink board member Don Knabe said it's premature to blame the engineer.

"There could always be a technical malfunction where ... there was a green light both ways,'' he said.

Ray Garcia, a Metrolink conductor until 2006 who now works for Amtrak, said initial evidence could be misleading, as in the case of a central computer inaccurately showing that a signal was red.

[Zill]

N.Y. Times ledarsida: After the Collision

This month’s horrifying head-on collision between a commuter train and freight train in California left 25 people dead and has finally spurred Congress to move ahead on much-needed rail-safety legislation.

The bill would mandate less overtime for fatigued train operators and require rail lines to install new technology to automatically stop trains on a collision course. While Congress may have gotten the message, the railroad industry and its compliant regulators in the Federal Railroad Administration continue to raise questions about the timing and practicality of these new requirements.

The new braking technology uses wireless data to take control of trains that run through red stop signals, as the California commuter train did with 220 passengers aboard. It has long been recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board.

[Zill]

L.A. Times: Metrolink chief says agency would consider installing safety systems

In his most extensive public statement since the deadly Chatsworth train crash, Metrolink Chief Executive David R. Solow said today that his agency would consider immediately installing devices that could halt or slow trains when a collision was imminent.

However, cautioning that there were potential obstacles to adding the equipment, he provided no assurance that the installation work would be done.

Speaking before the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority -- Metrolink's largest financial backer -- Solow also said he wasn't sure the Sept. 12 head-on collision between a Metrolink train and a Union Pacific freight train could have been avoided by the most readily-available device, known as automatic train stop.

[Olle]

Speaking before the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority -- Metrolink's largest financial backer -- Solow also said he wasn't sure the Sept. 12 head-on collision between a Metrolink train and a Union Pacific freight train could have been avoided by the most readily-available device, known as automatic train stop.

Det låter ju mycket märkligt. Är det verkligen så? Finns det inte över huvud tillräkligt bra ATC-utrustning menar han?

lle.

[RVR]

Speaking before the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority -- Metrolink's largest financial backer -- Solow also said he wasn't sure the Sept. 12 head-on collision between a Metrolink train and a Union Pacific freight train could have been avoided by the most readily-available device, known as automatic train stop.

Det låter ju mycket märkligt. Är det verkligen så? Finns det inte över huvud tillräkligt bra ATC-utrustning menar han?

lle.

Poängen är att man vill komma undan med så få extra utgifter som möjligt. Cyniskt, men ack så sant.

[Zill]

Speaking before the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority -- Metrolink's largest financial backer -- Solow also said he wasn't sure the Sept. 12 head-on collision between a Metrolink train and a Union Pacific freight train could have been avoided by the most readily-available device, known as automatic train stop.

Det låter ju mycket märkligt. Är det verkligen så? Finns det inte över huvud tillräkligt bra ATC-utrustning menar han?

lle.

Vet inte. Men privatatågfirmorna har länge varit imot en nordamerikansk ATC standard, p g a priset på ett sådant system (och tänk på att banorna i USA har ofta långa och tunga godståg som gör problemet betydligt mera invecklat om man jämför med banor som har mest passagerartrafik).

[Zill]

Poängen är att man vill komma undan med så få extra utgifter som möjligt. Cyniskt, men ack så sant.

Japp. T v.

Fast jag tror att Los Angeles MTA skulle hitta pengarna om man hadde ett standard ATC system för samtliga (gods-) järnvägar i nordamerika.

[Zill]

KTLA-TV video på L.A. Times webbsida ang. ATC på Metrolinks tåg:

http://www.latimes.com/video/?autoStart ... Id=2958609

[Zill]

L.A. Times: Metrolink adding second engineer to some trains

Under new pressure to swiftly increase safety measures, Metrolink will begin adding a second engineer to some of its commuter trains in the first visible reform since a deadly crash in Chatsworth.

He said the backup engineers will come from a pool of employees normally used to replace primary engineers who are on vacation, sick or out on training. Previously, when those employees were not running trains, they performed administrative work or collected fares.

There are 10 to 15 relief engineers available each day, Solow said, but the number riding shotgun would change, depending on how many already were filling in for colleagues.

"It's just an interim measure until we can find something permanent," he said in an interview. "We're going to use them as much as we can as another set of eyes."

[Zill]

Los Angeles Times: Freight railroads pledge to install advanced safety measures by 2012

Two freight railroads that share track with Metrolink commuter trains pledged Wednesday to install advanced safety measures in Southern California three years sooner than a new federal law would require -- with several caveats.

Positive train-control systems combine digital communications with global positioning system technology to monitor train locations and speeds. If engineers fail to comply with signals sent from instruments along the tracks, an electronic device in the train's cab automatically applies the brakes.

But freight company executives said they need help from federal regulators to ensure that they can install and operate the safety improvements.

Executives from the two companies told state lawmakers that they need more space on the crowded radio spectrum for the system to communicate with nearby trains, as well as additional funding to install it.

"We're close to working all the bugs out," said Thomas Jacobi, vice president of operations and technology for Union Pacific.

"But it's not something we're taking off the shelf. It's apt to cause greater safety concerns by implementing it too quickly."

The system also requires testing to ensure that those installed on freight trains will work with similar units on commuter rail lines.

Experts say such a fail-safe system would greatly improve train safety in Southern California, where so many miles of track are shared by both commuter lines and freight carriers heading to and from the busy Port of Los Angeles.

[Olle]

Är det en följd av beslutet i Senaten enligt nedan? FRA som är inblandade, det är väl knappast samma FRA som vi diskuterar i Sverige !

lle.


"Rail safety, Amtrak measures approved

Two landmark pieces of legislation that were presented to the U.S. Senate as a package deal--the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008--have been passed by a wide, 74-24 margin and are headed to the White House. President Bush is expected to sign the measure into law. The House previously voted in favor of the legislation.

Described as "the most comprehensive rail safety bill in more than 30 years," the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008’s major provisions include:

* Conductor certification: Within 18 months of the bill's becoming law, the FRA must establish a program to certify conductors, including minimum training standards.

* Positive Train Control: Requires installation of PTC by Dec. 31, 2015, on all main line track where intercity passenger and commuter railroads operate, and where TIH (toxic-by-inhalation hazmat) is transported. Also, grants are provided to assist railroads in implementing ECP brakes and switch-position indicators. The railroads, represented by the AAR, supported these provisions, which are less ambitious than the originally proposed 2012 PTC implementation timetable .

* Hours-of-service: Requires at least 10 consecutive uninterrupted hours off duty following 12 hours on duty. There is a three-year exception for passenger train employees, during which time their hours of service limitations will be studied by the FRA. No freight railroad employee covered by the hours-of-service law may be called to work unless they have had at least 10 uninterrupted hours off during the prior 24-hour period. And following each six days of work, a covered employee must be given 48 hours of uninterrupted time off at their home terminal. If the carrier requires that employee to work a 7th day--even if it is to return them to their home terminal--then the uninterrupted time-off at the home terminal must be at least 72 hours. As to limbo time, no employee covered by the hours-of-service law may be placed in limbo time after they have been on duty, waited for deadhead transportation, or been in any other mandatory service for more than a total of 276 hours in any month. Total limbo time per month is restricted to no more than 40 hours--reduced to 30 hours on the first anniversary of the bill’s becoming law.

* Locomotive cab safety: Requires the FRA study the safety impact of the use of train crews using personal electronic devices (personal cell phones, Blackberries, iPods and other electronic devices), except for company business, and then only when two crewpersons are in the cab. In the wake of the Sept. 12 Metrolink crash in California that killed 25, the FRA said it will issue an emergency order "explicitly prohibiting the use of personal electronic devices by railroad employees while operating trains and in other settings." The NTSB has determined that Metrolink engineer Robert Sanchez, who was killed in the wreck, sent a cell phone text message 22 seconds before his commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train. His cell phone records show he sent a text message after receiving one about a minute and 20 seconds before the crash. They also show that he sent 24 text messages and received 21 messages over a two-hour period during his morning shift, and during his afternoon shift he received seven and sent five messages, according to the NTSB. In the days after the crash, several teenage railfans told a Los Angeles Times reporter that Sanchez sent them a text message just before the collision. (FRA Thursday afternoon issued an emergency order banning the use of all electronic devices in locomotive cabs.)

* Medical attention: Prohibits railroads from denying, delaying, or interfering with the medical or first aid treatment of injured workers, and from disciplining those workers that request treatment. Also requires railroads to arrange for immediate transport of injured workers to the nearest appropriate hospital.

* FRA inspector staffing: Increases the number of federal rail safety inspectors and supporting staff by 200.

The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 contains provisions to invest in Amtrak and expand intercity rail passenger. It supports a five-year cumulative $13.1 billion federal subsidy to Amtrak, provides seed money for the development of additional high-speed rail corridors, and permits the STB to fine host freight railroads that delay Amtrak trains, should it be determined after an investigation that a delay was indeed the fault of the host freight railroad. Federal grants are provided to states to develop new services, increase capacity on heavily used rail lines, and attract new riders. For high speed, grants are provided to construct 11 to-be-determined corridors. Advocates cautioned, however, that reauthorizing Amtrak does not guarantee funding.

Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) voted for the bill. His opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) voted against it. Remarked one industry observer, "McCain's 'no' vote is clearly a 'say no to Amtrak' statement. It's incredible that he would vote against a comprehensive safety bill the railroads themselves support simply because he's against Amtrak."

The complete, 315-page bill can be downloaded in PDF form by clicking on this link. http://www.utu.org/worksite/PDFs/RR_bill_092508.pdf "

[Zill]

Är det en följd av beslutet i Senaten enligt nedan? FRA som är inblandade, det är väl knappast samma FRA som vi diskuterar i Sverige !

lle.

Nej, i detta sammanhang betyder FRA Federal Railroad Administration, som är republikens järnvägsinspektion.

Myndigheten i USA som motsvarar svenska FRA är NSA, eller the National Security Agency.

[Zill]

AP: Rail agency sues contractor over LA collision

LOS ANGELES – The Southern California Regional Rail Authority has filed a federal lawsuit asking a judge to determine whether its contractor can be held responsible for the deadly collision of one of its Metrolink commuter trains and a freight train.

The rail agency, already facing two lawsuits related to the Sept. 12 disaster, sued Connex Railroad LLC after they could not agree on whether their contract protects the other from liability, according to court papers released Friday. Connex provides engineers who run the Metrolink trains, including the engineer blamed for the deadly collision.

"An actual controversy has arisen and now exists between SCRRA and Connex," according to the lawsuit, which asks the court to interpret the contract and determine which party could be held liable.

Connex is a subsidiary of Veolia Transportation, a private operator of bus, rail, shuttle and other transportation services throughout North America. Veolia spokeswoman Erica Swerdlow said the company would not comment on ongoing litigation involving the company.

"We continue to operate the service within full compliance of our contract with Metrolink," she said.

Metrolink is operated by the SCRRA, which has members from five counties' transportation planning agencies. The agency met in closed session Friday to discuss anticipated and ongoing litigation stemming from the collision.

[Zill]

L.A. Times, 2008-12-26: Experts say sequence of signals may have contributed to Metrolink crash

The position of trackside warning signals near the Chatsworth Metrolink station could have increased distractions for the engineer involved in September's deadly collision with a freight train, according to experts who cite the causes of a similar crash a decade ago.

Several hundred yards and a few seconds before arriving at the Chatsworth station, Metrolink engineer Robert M. Sanchez passed a critical solid yellow signal that should have warned him to stop at the next light about a mile after the depot, according to federal safety investigators.

Placing the yellow light before a station, experts say, creates an opportunity for distractions for engineers -- who must bring the train to a halt, communicate with conductors and focus on passengers getting on or off. This is especially critical in places like the Chatsworth station, where the signal after the depot is near a point where the main line merges with another track.

[daniel_s]

Jodå, det där är en välkänd risk: en plattform placerad efter en signal med försignalbesked, men så långt före den försignalerade huvudsignalen att ett tåg som stannar inte kan se den, och gärna ingen ATC heller. Sådana anläggningar byggs inte i Sverige sedan många år, och kanske inte i USA heller. Tyvärr är det väl ganska utbrett världen över, att anläggningarna är något föråldrade och inte riktigt anpassade för en hektisk lokaltrafik.

[Zill]

Jodå, det där är en välkänd risk: en plattform placerad efter en signal med försignalbesked, men så långt före den försignalerade huvudsignalen att ett tåg som stannar inte kan se den, och gärna ingen ATC heller. Sådana anläggningar byggs inte i Sverige sedan många år, och kanske inte i USA heller. Tyvärr är det väl ganska utbrett världen över, att anläggningarna är något föråldrade och inte riktigt anpassade för en hektisk lokaltrafik.

Right you are!

Artikeln i L.A. Times diskuterar den svåra olyckan (12 dog) mellan ett MARC lokaltåg och Amtraks Capitol Limited (snälltåg mellan Washington och Chicago) som inträffade en kall eftermiddag mitt i högtrafiken här i Silver Spring, Maryland (förort till huvudstaden Washington).

RAILROAD ACCIDENT REPORT: COLLISION AND DERAILMENT OF MARYLAND RAIL COMMUTER MARC TRAIN 286 AND NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION AMTRAK TRAIN 29 NEAR SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND ON FEBRUARY 16,1996

Slutsatser:

The signal system functioned as designed.

The MARC train 286 engineer apparently forgot the signal aspect, which required him to be prepared to stop at Georgetown Junction, due to interference caused by various events, including performing an unscheduled station stop, that occurred between the presentation of the APPROACH aspect at signal 1124-2 and the STOP signal at Georgetown Junction.

Neither the conductor nor the assistant conductor while in the cab control compartment appeared to have effectively monitored the engineer’s operation of MARC train 286 and taken action to ensure the safety of the train.

Had the Federal Railroad Administration required the recording of the train crewmembers’ voice communications, the essential details about the circumstances of this accident could have been provided.

Had the Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Transit Administration required the CSX Transportation Inc. to perform a total signal system review of the proposed signal changes that included a human factors analysis within a comprehensive failure modes and effects analyses, this accident may have been prevented

NTSB uttalade sig om saken 1997: NTSB URGES VOICE RECORDERS FOR TRAINS, QUICK ACTION ON RAIL CAR SAFETY UPGRADES AS A RESULT OF FATAL MARYLAND COMMUTER ACCIDENT

NTSB Safety Recommendation


En rapport som skrevs i Storbritannien: Human Error and Organisation Failure...

[kildor]

Det läggs uppenbarligen mycket stort ansvar på den individuella lokföraren i USA. Jag menar, om det inte finns ATC så kan man väl åtminstone kräva vettig försignalering. I Sverige får man inte ens starta en tågrörelse om man inte kan se att signalen framför visar kör (visst, det finns en del undantag, men det är iaf huvudregeln...).

[Zill]

Det läggs uppenbarligen mycket stort ansvar på den individuella lokföraren i USA. Jag menar, om det inte finns ATC så kan man väl åtminstone kräva vettig försignalering. I Sverige får man inte ens starta en tågrörelse om man inte kan se att signalen framför visar kör (visst, det finns en del undantag, men det är iaf huvudregeln...).

Korrekt.

Fast man har ATC på vissa banor i landet (t ex Amtraks N.E. Corridor) så har man inte ATC på de stora stambanorna som ägs av stora järnvägskoncernerna (CSX, NS, CP, CN, BNSF och UP) i Nordamerika.

[Zill]

L.A. Times: Engineer in fatal Metrolink crash let teens ride in cab, sources say

Federal investigators have cellphone text messages indicating that the engineer blamed for last fall's Metrolink rail disaster in Chatsworth sometimes allowed teenagers to ride with him in the cabs of locomotives while carrying passengers, The Times has learned

There is no evidence that any teenagers, described by sources as rail enthusiasts, rode the commuter rail with engineer Robert M. Sanchez on the day of the accident last Sept. 12.

But unauthorized ride-alongs are considered a serious violation of safety regulations and could create dangerous distractions. The disclosures are certain to intensify questions about the oversight of Metrolink crews, which has been a key focus of the inquiry in the wake of the collision that killed 25 people and injured 135 more.

'

A Metrolink spokesman declined to respond Friday to what he called "unsubstantiated allegations regarding the ongoing NTSB investigation." Reached for comment, a spokeswoman for the firm that provides Metrolink train crews, Connex Railroad LLC, also declined.

[Zill]

L.A. Times: Federal hearing: Rail enthusiasts sat at controls of Metrolink train

The engineer suspected of causing the Sept. 12 Metrolink catastrophe in Chatsworth not only allowed rail enthusiasts into the cab of moving trains but also let them sit at the controls, according to text messages released today at a hearing by federal investigators.

Two days before the crash, Metrolink engineer Robert M. Sanchez sent a cellphone text message arranging another ride-along and said, "this time I'm taking a picture of you @ da throttle!!!"

Planning for the evening ride-along on the day of the crash, Sanchez texted one of the rail enthusiasts: "yea...but I’m REALLY looking forward to getting you in the cab and showing you how to run a locomotive."

The recipient, identified as "Person A," responded: "Omg [oh, my God] dude me too. Running a locomotive. Having all of that in the palms of my hands. Its a great feeling. And ill do it so good from all my practice on the simulator.”