Metro-North Passenger Train Derails in New York, Killing Four

[Adam]

Metro-North Passenger Train Derails in New York, Killing Four

A Metro-North train derailed in New York City Sunday morning, killing four people on board and scattering railcars near the water's edge, authorities said.

The first four or five cars of the southbound diesel train on the Hudson line derailed about 100 yards from the Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx at about 7:30 a.m., a railroad spokeswoman said. The Fire Department of New York said there were 63 injured with 11 in critical condition.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arrived a the scene of the derailment and confirmed the number of deaths and injuries. He said a National Transportation Safety Board investigation would begin soon.

Witness photos posted on social media show one of the train cars came to rest just feet from the water. Spuyten Duyvil is the inlet where the Harlem River meets the Hudson River, just north of Manhattan. None of the cars reached the water, Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.

The crash is the second major derailment in one year for Metro-North, which calls itself the busiest commuter rail line in the country, and one that has previously had a good record for safety.

---

Terrible tragedy. Looks like Metro North needs to spend some money on some track improvements.

[Adam]

Terrible tragedy. Looks like Metro North needs to spend some money on some track improvements.

Looks like I may have spoken too soon. The train was going 82 MPH. The engineer is claiming brake failure. I guess we'll see what the investigation finds.

[Gingersnap]

I hope the engineer wasn't taking selfies and texting like that guy in Spain last Spring. Same type of scenario. I assume they have some way of determining mechanical or electronic failure?

[Norm dePlume]

I half-dozed through the news. Paul Walker was driving a commuter train?

[Adam]

I hope the engineer wasn't taking selfies and texting like that guy in Spain last Spring. Same type of scenario. I assume they have some way of determining mechanical or electronic failure?

Trains these days have "black boxes" just like airplanes, so they can determine things like throttle position, brake pressure, etc.



Anyway, it looks like he was dozing off. Ate too much turkey, partied too much on Saturday night ... who knows.

I wonder if Metro North trains have the same thing I found out that Amtrak trains have: a "buzzer" that the engineer must hit every 45-90 seconds (the length of time varies at random) to ensure that he's still awake in there. If not, then it kinda sounds like they should.

[phillygirl]

I just found out my sister-in-law's cousin was a passenger on the train. She survived, but is in critical condition. Such a shame.

I feel terrible for the engineer as well. It sounds like he may have averted his attention. He will have a lot of guilt to live with. Terrible tragedy.

[scott]

Trains these days have "black boxes" just like airplanes, so they can determine things like throttle position, brake pressure, etc.



Anyway, it looks like he was dozing off. Ate too much turkey, partied too much on Saturday night ... who knows.

I wonder if Metro North trains have the same thing I found out that Amtrak trains have: a "buzzer" that the engineer must hit every 45-90 seconds (the length of time varies at random) to ensure that he's still awake in there. If not, then it kinda sounds like they should.

Yes, but.....

The “alerter” system sounds a warning after 25 seconds of inactivity from the engineer. It can activate the brakes automatically if the engineer doesn’t respond to the prompt in 15 seconds.
That may have prevented disaster when engineer William Rockefeller apparently nodded off before the train approached a sharp curve near the Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx on Sunday morning — a bend that requires trains to slow down from a 70 mph limit to just 30 mph.
The system, however, was installed in the locomotive, which was powering the train from the rear, and Rockefeller, due to protocol, was operating the train with remote controls from the lead car, which had no alerter, officials said. In effect, Rockefeller was seven cars away from the audible alarm.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...#ixzz2mbPfEf3U

[Adam]

Seems he has some form of sleep apnea.

[Adam]

It would appear that they are indeed chalking it up to sleep apnea.

I'm not really sure what you do to prevent this in the future. Give everyone operating a train an overnight sleep study from time to time?