Red Line Collision

Just got home and turned on the news, and this one looks bad - far worse than the collision at Shady Grove. It looks like a whole carbody has been lifted up in the air as another train collided with it.

http://wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1702179

Reporters are confirming at least one fatality. My prayers to the families of the victims and first responders on the scene.

Yeah, I'm watching it now, apparently 3 are dead.

Update: 2 confirmed dead, with many injured. Accident occured just north of the New Hampshire Ave crossing. MARC Brunswick Line trains (which use adjacent CSX tracks) have been cancelled DC-Rockville.

Isn't the subway supposed to be automatically controlled? Aren't there safety systems that would prevent 2 trains entering the same area?

There are - reports conflict right now as to whether this was a head-on or rear-end collision.

I suspect that it'll be some time before we get any real facts on this, but the pictures on the local news are quite impressive - the article I linked to in the first post has been updated with a picture.

They were single-tracking at the time, making it a head-on collision. WMATA is entirely a 2-track system; so any time track maint. is needed the line must be single-tracked, or shutdown. They usually do NOT single-track for track repairs during rush-hour, but that's irrelevant to this event.

More recent reporting has witnesses that say that the trains were moving in the same direction - I think that it's too early to be making any absolute statements like that.

I have additional info on my post MAJOR RED LINE ACCIDENT **HAPPENING NOW** link being updated as available

[quote="HokieNav"]More recent reporting has witnesses that say that the trains were moving in the same direction - I think that it's too early to be making any absolute statements like that.[/quote]


GM Catoe was interviewed on the scene and confirmed the single-track operation...of course, that's subject to charge...

update:
Catoe now says that there was a single-track movement going on, to pass a stopped train/breakdown of some kind. The second train did strike the rear of the stopped first train. The operator of the second train was one of the fatalities.

7:05pm WUSA: DCFD is now reporting as many as 4 fatalities from the accident. This would make it the deadliest accident since the Federal Triangle accident.

NBC4 in DC just confirmed the trains were traveling in the same direction. And the driver in the train that read ended the train it was following was a female and one of the confirmed fatalities.

TallEddie_81 wrote:NBC4 in DC just confirmed the trains were traveling in the same direction. And the driver in the train that read ended the train it was following was a female and one of the confirmed fatalities.

WUSA's carrying the same press conference. Other info includes 2 more patients triaged "red" w/ life threatening injuries.

tommyboy6181 wrote:I have additional info on my post MAJOR RED LINE ACCIDENT **HAPPENING NOW** link being updated as available

Why don't we keep it all to one thread, rather than make us go back and forth?

HokieNav wrote: Why don't we keep it all to one thread, rather than make us go back and forth?

That would be the common sense approach, and we all know common sense doesn't always prevail.

I started following the only thread, at the time, that had some replies. I am sure a MOD will come along and clean it up, since there are about 4 thread right now about the same thing.

WUSA is streaming its broadcast live on the web, for anyone outside of the DC area who wants to watch (as of 7:30pm):
I'm watching in Windows Media Player, not sure what other players are compatible. It's an ASX file.

http://mfile.akamai.com/22330/live/refl ... 181&prop=n

What type of train control system is in place to prevent this from happening? I know that the Metro trains are controlled by computer and essentially operate by themselves, and the operator pretty much just operates the doors, unless the train is in a manual mode.

From reading this forum I know that freight trains can pass a stop signal, and still be able to proceed, albeit at a restricted speed. How do the safety systems on freight rails compare to the WMATA system.