Crashed Amtrak train was going 25 m.p.h. too fast, officials say
source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-ntsb_webdec03,1,4686476.story?coll=chi_mezz
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- katevalentine
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The Amtrak train that crashed into a freight train on Chicago's South Side, injuring 60 people Friday, was traveling 25 m.p.h. faster than a warning signal allowed, federal investigators said Sunday.
"That will be part of our investigation, to try and understand why that signal was not obeyed," said Robert Sumwalt, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Although the speed limit on the track where the crash happened is normally 79 m.p.h., a "restricting signal" warned of another train on the track ahead, Sumwalt said. That meant the Amtrak operating engineer should have slowed to either 15 m.p.h. or whatever lower speed would have allowed the train to stop within half the distance the operator could see.
But Friday morning the Amtrak train was traveling 40 miles per hour, Sumwalt said, and emergency braking had slowed it to just 35 m.p.h. when it hit the Norfolk Southern freight train about 1.7 miles from the signal. The crash happened about 11:30 a.m. near 51st Street and Shields Avenue.
"That will be part of our investigation, to try and understand why that signal was not obeyed," said Robert Sumwalt, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Although the speed limit on the track where the crash happened is normally 79 m.p.h., a "restricting signal" warned of another train on the track ahead, Sumwalt said. That meant the Amtrak operating engineer should have slowed to either 15 m.p.h. or whatever lower speed would have allowed the train to stop within half the distance the operator could see.
But Friday morning the Amtrak train was traveling 40 miles per hour, Sumwalt said, and emergency braking had slowed it to just 35 m.p.h. when it hit the Norfolk Southern freight train about 1.7 miles from the signal. The crash happened about 11:30 a.m. near 51st Street and Shields Avenue.
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- Collective Journalism
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- Collective Journalism, Chicago, Trains, Train, 3 more
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Richiev
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This would have been easily avoidable if Amtrak installed RF sensors that would simply beep loudly when a change in normal signal was noticed. I really don't blame the driver, all he does is sit in a chair and monitor a train that basically drives itself down a track... Not that I'm saying it's ok-
- 4 years ago
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Richiev
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Scott_Bromley
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Luckily, nobody was killed or seriously injured. (I can't help but look at that photo and think, "That's how Model Trains are made.")
- 4 years ago
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Scott_Bromley
