There is something of great value to be learned from the operational and engineering failures that have caused this tragedy, which can be applied to prevent similar happenings in the future. Rail accidents, though tragically spectacular, are fortunately very rare, with rail usually rating very highly as a safe mode of transport.

Here's hoping that no CR4 reader, family member or acquaintance has been injured in this sad event.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8114025.stm

Thank god (or whoever) that it didn't happen underground.

PWSlack,

Thank you for the link, Living in the US, I unfortunately do not listen to the news media, for reasons that it is too sensationalized............doing so I do miss what is important.

Odd (or maybe not so odd) how tragedy can bring things in prospective.

Steve

Thanks JohnDG, from the U.K., for posting this thread. DC's on our minds here in Troy, New York as well today. - Larry

I got message from my brother who travels by metro in D.C, informing me that it was fortunate that train was travelling to down town during peek office hours, so it was less crowded. Also the location has blind turning and the lady driver has not engaged on Auto mode. She died in accident. It seems she could not view the train ahead of her and red signal.

Suresh Sharma.

i have a good friend that works in the maintanaince department for dc metro, specifically working on the electronics of the automation department................i've yet to contact him, but figure that i might get a little bit of the inside story as things unfold.........

currently, the big question is: why was the stopped train sitting there in the first place, and why didn't the moving train know it was there?

one thing i do know from past discussions..........it was a really sophisticated system for it's time, but that time was 30 years ago.........

I live in Fairfax, VA, just 25 miles from the crash site. I ride Metro daily, though not usually the trains (buses, instead). Currently I'm working offsite, with the result that I use two bus routes and a train route each way, every day. But NOT the Red Line. So, consider this my check-in. I, and all of my family, and as far as I now can tell, my friends, are alright.

Thanks for your concern.

Micah

John D.G

Unpredictable accidents. Safety at traveller's risk. Is it? More than high speed travel technologies, safety aspects, mainly the collision impact protection like the air balloon in four wheelers need serious consideration of implimentation in all possible transport vehicles particularly mass transport systems like trains too. I feel technologies got to bear serious consideration on this safety feature in existing and future transport systems. Quite a needy area. The atatistics on accidents should show a declining rate towards zero.

Last I saw on the news, they think that the train was in automatic mode. They are looking at a failure of the track circuit that should have detected the stopped train. Evidence from the crash suggests that the emergency brake was on. One report has the train stopping, then starting up again suddenly.

My best guess, the automatic stopped the train, then for whatever reason (broken wire in detection circuit?) started the train again. I'm thinking the operator panicked, hit the emergency brake, but neglected to deactivate the automatic system, which left the brakes working against the traction motors.

Hopefully they will figure exactly what happened and make sure it never happens again. What's that saying about engineering standards being written in blood?

Interesting.....

In the UK, rail transportation systems are designed to "fail safe", i.e. any failure causes a drop to a less risky mode of operation, even if that brings things to a full stop.

Does the same principle apply to equipment the Red Line of the Washington Metro?

murphy's law............the fastest speed the metro travels at in the entire system is 59mph...............and that is what that stretch of rail was rated for............full steam ahead was the command,,,,,,the stationary train wieghed in at something like 267 ton........so i figure the moving train was about the same............can any one here provide the math for impact force

this is DC,,,,,,, so of course the first lawsuit has already be claimed.........a 15 year old kid who got his leg broke is suing for close to a million for pain & suffering.............

http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2009/090625.html

To All -

(Please print out a copy of this message to share with fellow employees who do not have access to e-mail.)

Earlier today, the NTSB issued an Urgent Safety Recommendation related to the tragic accident we experienced on June 22. If you'd like to read the full recommendation here is the link:

http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/2009/R09_6.pdf .

It is important to note that the recommendation went not only to us, but also to the FTA for relay to all transit properties with rail operations. In short, the automatic train control system didn't work as intended that day, and they've recommended that we develop a back-up that would preclude an occurrence of the events of the accident. Below you will find our response to the recommendation. I think it says everything we need to say on this for now. There's more work to be done to determine the root cause of the accident, and we won't stop until we have the answers we're looking for.

----------------------------------------------Initial Response to NTSB Recommendation------------------------------------------

We appreciate the recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board to Metro and the Federal Transit Administration. This has implications that reach far beyond Metro, and extend to the entire transit industry.

It is important to know that there are currently no systems available commercially that could provide the Metro system with the kind of alerts that the NTSB has recommended, and that such a system must be invented. San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit system, for example, would not meet our unique needs. We believe the NTSB acknowledged this much in its letter today, stating, "The NTSB believes that software algorithms or additional circuitry could be developed to continuously evaluate the validity of real-time track occupancy data and alert operations personnel when problems are detected." As a result, we will be developing a new system that will be specifically tailored to Metro. Metro is in the process of contacting vendors who have the expertise needed to help us develop this service, and we are preparing cost estimates on this application.

We are also pleased that NTSB has now agreed to allow us to move forward with our plan to initiate an independent panel of experts in signal systems through the American Public Transportation Association before their investigation has been completed.

In spite of the issuance of this recommendation, the root cause of the accident is still undetermined. This is not a simple problem as is evidenced by the NTSB statement that "investigators are continuing to examine the train control system circuitry and recorded data to better understand how the train control system functioned prior to the accident."

The safety of our customers and our employees continue to be our prime concern. As a result of the accident of June 22, 2009, we immediately returned control of all trains to manual mode. We will continue to operate in manual mode until a suitable backup, designed specifically for our rail system is developed. For more than 30 years, the current rail system has operated without a failure like the one we experienced on June 22, but we will devote all our resources to implementing NTSB's recommendation as soon as possible."

John Catoe

General Manager

....no, i'm not John Catoe................i was just passing on the memo, since it was released to the public...........

sorry for the confusion.........

i did talk to my buddy who works there, thankfully he did not do any work on that part of the system.......they really have no idea of what exactly went wrong (or they do know and arn't telling)..............the system is WAY complicated....it is not just a bunch of hard wired switches and relays ...he insists that theoretically this could not have happened .......

and there are even conspiracy theories that it was terrorists that somehow broadcast false information on the wavelength(s) the system uses ......

NTSB close to major announcement on Metro crash

July 29, 2009 - 6:08am

One train collided and ran up on to the back end of another in June. (AP)

Adam Tuss, wtop.com

WASHINGTON -- Federal investigators are getting ready to make a major announcement about last month's horrific collision on Metro's Red Line. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation could be to the point where the root cause of the crash may be pinpointed, sources familiar with the investigation tell WTOP.

A formal announcement is expected in the coming days.

"They should nail it so everyone can get this thing going," one source tells WTOP.

So far, much of the investigation has focused on faulty track circuits in the crash area between the Takoma and Fort Totten rail stations. The NTSB has said one of those circuits was "fluttering" in the days leading up to the crash. When a test train was later placed on that same section of track, Metro's anti-collision system -- designed to keep track of trains and maintain spacing -- "lost sight" of that train.

Metro leaders characterized the problem as a mystery and say they do not know why the problem continues to happen.

Meanwhile, the NTSB had said it could be a year before the probable cause of the crash is uncovered. Metro officials have been pushing federal investigators to speed up the process, and it appears their request may be granted.

Recently, Metro began an intensive review of all its track circuits, uncovering several additional "anomalies" around the system. That has led to trains running slower in spots -- at some times no faster than 15 miles per hour. Trains also have been running one at a time through the crash area on the Red Line. Everyone who has been on a Metro train since the June 22 accident has experienced the subway system's slower, manual mode. The automatic train control function has been disabled as the investigation continues.

Metro and NTSB investigators have been working to try and find the crash's root cause since the deadly accident killed nine people and injured nearly 80. However, when the announcement comes, don't expect Metro to be the lead.

"The NTSB has made it clear they want to be the one's to deliver the news," says a source.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Metro superintendent returns to job following crash

July 28, 2009 - 2:35pm

Adam Tuss, wtop.com

WASHINGTON -- The top Metro official in charge of the train control systems designed to prevent crashes is back at his normal position.

Matthew Matyuf, Metro's superintendent of the Automatic Train Control Division, was reassigned to a "special project" just days after the deadly crash on the Red Line on June 22. As of Monday, Matyuf is back on the job, WTOP has learned.

The investigation into the deadliest accident in Metro's history has largely focused on a breakdown with the track circuits designed to "recognize" when a train is present.

In testings after the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said a circuit in the section of track between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations on the Red Line periodically "fluttered," failing to register that a train was on the tracks. That breakdown could have been crucial, "telling" the striking train that there was no train ahead, when in fact there was.

Since that finding, federal investigators have issued an urgent safety recommendation that a brand new train protection system -- one that reports track and communication issues in real-time -- be implemented throughout the Metro system.

Trains have been operating in the slower, manual mode since the crash.

The NTSB continues to investigate the crash and has not yet found the root cause of the accident.

Then why was Matyuf reassigned? Sources tell WTOP that investigators did not want him to be so closely involved with the investigation -- but the investigation is at such a point, Metro believes it is okay for him to get back to his regular, assigned duties.

"It is like when a bus operator gets removed after an accident," said a source. "They have to determine if the crash was preventable or not preventable."

When asked for comment, the NTSB said it "does not get involved in the personnel matters of other organizations."

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)