Commuter trains collide in Connecticut

[bill937ca]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/05/17/us-train-collision-connecticut.html

 

Are these Japanese-built  rolling stock?

[miyakoji]

Kawasaki M8s, although I think they're built in the US. No fatalities, fortunately. It's difficult to see in that photo, but it looks like it wasn't head-on, I hope the injuries are not serious.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M8_%28railcar%29

[bikkuri bahn]

Apparently one train derailed (reason as yet unknown), and sideswiped an oncoming train on the opposite track.

[Jcarlton]

Right at Burr Rd. I'm not sure what could cause this. My guess would be debris on track.

Pics:

http://connecticut.news12.com/multimedia/metro-north-trains-collide-in-ct-after-derailment-1.5286169?firstfree=yes#14

I'm going up to Bridgeport to see what I can get tommorrow. Likely they will need Danbury Rail Museums old GCT hook for this one. I need to get a scanner for times like this.

[bikkuri bahn]

My guess would be debris on track.

If so, will be interesting to find out how the debris got there in the limited time window, given that the accident occurred in rush hour- presumably previous trains encountered nothing out of the ordinary?

[Jcarlton]

It's a bad nieghborhood and kids do dumb stuff. There's a lot of junk around there from the old food distributer and dead factories. More than likely though something fell from the higway bridge.

[bikkuri bahn]

Seems broken rail is being looked into:

 

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. The commuter train derailment and collision that left dozens injured outside New York City was not the result of foul play, officials said Saturday, but a fractured section of rail is being studied to determine if it is connected to the accident.

National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said Saturday the broken rail is of substantial interest to investigators and a portion of the track will be sent to a lab for analysis.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57585184/official-broken-rail-eyed-in-conn-train-crash/

 

 

It's a bad nieghborhood...

I see that Bridgeport and environs is statistically America's holder of city with the biggest gap between rich and poor.  Though neighboring Fairfield is ranked as one of the "best places to live" in the nation.  Quite a contrast.

[Jcarlton]

It's starting to look like it was a fractured tie plate underneath a rail joiner that nobody noticed. Here's a Metro North uptdate:

http://new.mta.info/new-haven-line-service-changes-are-place-while-we-work-around-clock-rebuild-damaged-tracks

And a video a kid took within seconds of the collision(language NSFW, yo):

I tried to get up to the scene yesterday but there were to many police and I needed to get to the tower.

As fo r Bridgeport, It's problem are self inflicted. The city had a Socialist mayor for 30 years or so, a corrupt city government since forever and as economic problems have made themselves felt businesses have been bought out and moved away. One time Bridgeport had a flourinshing economy of numereous manufacturers making all sorts of different products from rifle cartidges to automobiles. But the long period of ever higher taxes to pay for an ever increasing unemployable welfare state killed the city.

[Jcarlton]

We had our NRHS chapter meeting at our switch tower this evening and Metro North was running trains to return the East end trains to New Haven, so it looks like they will be back to normal Wednesday.

http://web.mta.info/mnr/NewHaven/new-haven-line-recovery.html

[bikkuri bahn]

One time Bridgeport had a flourinshing economy of numereous manufacturers making all sorts of different products from rifle cartidges to automobiles.

 

Sounds like the story of New England in general. Sad to see once flourishing manufacturing cities become shells of their former selves. I believe the fortunes of the once mighty NE railroads like the NH were bound with those industries.

[bikkuri bahn]

Ugh- wouldn't you know it, the ambulance chasers are already at it, even before the line is re-opened for service and the investigation just started:

http://newyork.newsday.com/news/nation/metro-north-crash-injured-conductors-engineers-eye-faulty-track-repair-train-cars-for-cause-1.5310564

 

[Mudkip Orange]

The similarities between this crash and the '63 Tsurumi crash are striking.

[KenS]

While I'm glad nobody was seriously injured (which is some kind of miracle), what really annoyed me was Amtrak's response.  I was caught on the far side of this from home on an Acela-based business trip, and Amtrak basically said "tough luck" when they annulled my train (and any others for an indefinite period). No attempt to coordinate alternate transportation. No bus service from NYC to a Conn. station. Just a refund, offered as if they were going out of their way to be accommodating.

 

I ended up taking a plane, bus and commuter train to get home.  And I HATE flying.

 

When an airline strands you, they'll usually try to help rebook you on another flight. And I had one bus me to another airport once when they had to land at the wrong one.  This is not how you prove to people that you're a viable transportation mode.

 

(soapbox off :) )

 

That said, when it works Acela is a really nice way to travel.

[Blevins18]

We can pretty much only fly from central KY. Amtrak's Chicago to NYC service comes through Cincinnati every third day between 1am and 3am. Really disappointing especially when my father and grandfather talk about rail travel.