Amtrak Washington train crash: Deaths as carriages fall on US motorway

Gerald · 12-19-17, 12:54 AM

Quote:

At least three people have been confirmed killed after a US passenger train derailed onto a motorway in Washington state during rush hour on Monday morning.

Officials say 72 people were taken to hospitals after most of the Amtrak train's carriages left the track.

A number of those injured are reported to be in a critical condition.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42401707

How could this happen?

GoldenRivet · 12-19-17, 03:35 AM

AmTrak does not have the most stellar safety record.

Chances are it is due to locomotive maintenance issue, track maintenance issue, excessive speed, or collision or any number of those issues.

Jimbuna · 12-19-17, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

Chances are it is due to locomotive maintenance issue, track maintenance issue, excessive speed, or collision or any number of those issues.

That's a pretty broad net you've cast there John, could apply to most rail accidents

Catfish · 12-19-17, 06:49 AM

As i know from a befriended UP conductor, the neglect of maintenance in US infrastructure and especially railroads, is breathtaking.

In Germany, railroads were initially a national institution, like mail and a lot of other infrastructure back then. Only some decades ago, it was decided to privatise the railroads and mail services, to "spare the tax payer money", for maintenance and the like or so they said.

Did i say that the railroads (as postal services, buildings, stock) had been built and bought with tax payer's money? This "privatising" is disappropriation of the people, nothing else. Take away from the lot of thepeople, to make a few rich.

So the private companies 'bought' railroads from the state for one symbolic D-Mark, and then tried to quench out of it as much as possible, raising prices, of course doing nothing to hold up the standards, or maintain the railroads, or rolling stock. Which led to neglect, decay, less service and finally a lot of accidents, of course.

Every time the privatised railroads run by companies fail in the end, they will be bought back by the state for lots of money, and then added repair and maintenance – once more all done with the tax payer's money.
And then it all starts again, full circle.

Communism does not work because people are not noble enough.
Capitalism works because the dumbness of the people can be taken for granted.

Commander Wallace · 12-19-17, 07:55 AM

It has been determined, after recovery of one of the " black boxes " recorders, that the Amtrak train was traveling at 80mph in a designated 30mph zone. The track in this area was newly refurbished and rebuilt. Investigators are now trying to determine if the train engineer was distracted by cell phone use at this time, which is prohibited.

3 people were killed and 72 injured of which 10 have been listed as serious.

http://wdtn.com/2017/12/19/ntsb-amtr...hington-crash/

http://abcnews.go.com/US/amtrak-trai...ry?id=51878888

Skybird · 12-19-17, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catfish

Communism does not work because people are not noble enough.
Capitalism works because the dumbness of the people can be taken for granted.

Communism does not work because people are no ego-free, non-individual drones.
Captialism works because of competition, and the freedom of bad performers to fail and dropping out of competition.

Lets talk about the desastrous effects of MONOPOLISM and lacking competition.

kraznyi_oktjabr · 12-19-17, 08:43 AM

Amtrak does not own or maintain most of tracks it operates on. Majority (including accident site) is owned and maintained by private freight railways and state governments. Amtrak owns most of Northeast Corridor (Washington D.C. to New Rochelle and New Haven to Boston) and some lesser sections of track in Southern California and Michigan.

Latest what I have heard from Yle (Finnish national brodcaster) said that according to event data recorder of trailing locomotive, train was operating at speed of about 130 km/h in section where speed limit is 50 km/h. They also said that NTSB hasn't been able to event data recorder of leading locomotive and they are unable to say why train was operating at excessive speed.

GoldenRivet · 12-19-17, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

That's a pretty broad net you've cast there John, could apply to most rail accidents

it was intended as a quip toward their history

my aim was off i suppose there

12-19-17, 03:35 AM	#2
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,726 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	AmTrak does not have the most stellar safety record. Chances are it is due to locomotive maintenance issue, track maintenance issue, excessive speed, or collision or any number of those issues. __________________

12-19-17, 06:49 AM	#4
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,766 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	As i know from a befriended UP conductor, the neglect of maintenance in US infrastructure and especially railroads, is breathtaking. In Germany, railroads were initially a national institution, like mail and a lot of other infrastructure back then. Only some decades ago, it was decided to privatise the railroads and mail services, to "spare the tax payer money", for maintenance and the like or so they said. Did i say that the railroads (as postal services, buildings, stock) had been built and bought with tax payer's money? This "privatising" is disappropriation of the people, nothing else. Take away from the lot of thepeople, to make a few rich. So the private companies 'bought' railroads from the state for one symbolic D-Mark, and then tried to quench out of it as much as possible, raising prices, of course doing nothing to hold up the standards, or maintain the railroads, or rolling stock. Which led to neglect, decay, less service and finally a lot of accidents, of course. Every time the privatised railroads run by companies fail in the end, they will be bought back by the state for lots of money, and then added repair and maintenance – once more all done with the tax payer's money. And then it all starts again, full circle. Communism does not work because people are not noble enough. Capitalism works because the dumbness of the people can be taken for granted. __________________ >^..^<)))>{ All generalizations are wrong. Last edited by Catfish; 12-19-17 at 07:27 AM.*

12-19-17, 08:43 AM	#7
kraznyi_oktjabr Sea Lord Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Republiken Finland Posts: 1,803 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	Amtrak does not own or maintain most of tracks it operates on. Majority (including accident site) is owned and maintained by private freight railways and state governments. Amtrak owns most of Northeast Corridor (Washington D.C. to New Rochelle and New Haven to Boston) and some lesser sections of track in Southern California and Michigan. Latest what I have heard from Yle (Finnish national brodcaster) said that according to event data recorder of trailing locomotive, train was operating at speed of about 130 km/h in section where speed limit is 50 km/h. They also said that NTSB hasn't been able to event data recorder of leading locomotive and they are unable to say why train was operating at excessive speed. __________________ You talk to God, you're religious. God talks to you, you're psychotic. - Dr. House

12-19-17, 07:55 AM	#5
Commander Wallace Navy Seal Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Under the sea in an Octupus garden in the shade Posts: 5,295 Downloads: 366 Uploads: 0	It has been determined, after recovery of one of the " black boxes " recorders, that the Amtrak train was traveling at 80mph in a designated 30mph zone. The track in this area was newly refurbished and rebuilt. Investigators are now trying to determine if the train engineer was distracted by cell phone use at this time, which is prohibited. 3 people were killed and 72 injured of which 10 have been listed as serious. http://wdtn.com/2017/12/19/ntsb-amtr...hington-crash/ http://abcnews.go.com/US/amtrak-trai...ry?id=51878888