New Jersey Transit Train Has Crashed into Station in Hoboken: Injuries Reported-Mass Casualties

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: GoShredAK
Unless the line breaks I between any of the cars, then the breaks go into emergency automatically.

Correct. Based on what we know so far there was no break in the lines to cause the emergency air brake to engage.

I guess whatever happened happened right at the the end of the track at the terminal.

There are a large amount of double slips and turnouts in the yard throat that would make it difficult to come through the entire yard at high speed but it would not be impossible.

If for some reason a car derailed on one of those sharp curves it would have thrown the entire train into emergency immediately.

So it must have navigated those areas successfully.......

Hmmmm...not arguing, just trying to help speculate....

a reply to: GoShredAK

Passengers can get to the emergency breaks. There is a sign next to it saying it is a felony if you pull it.

It is not the job of the passengers to pull it, the conductors should be the ones doing it.

However thinking about it, usually the conductors are right near the door preparing to open it since they are approaching a stop. I am not sure why none of them pulled the emergency breaks since they are right there near the doors, unless the breaks failed.

Otherwise it is negligence.

originally posted by: GoShredAK
If for some reason a car derailed on one of those sharp curves it would have thrown the entire train into emergency immediately.

So it must have navigated those areas successfully.......

Hmmmm...not arguing, just trying to help speculate....

You are correct which makes the cause most likely operator error. If you use a Google earth view of the yards you can see how complicated the trackage is coming out of the Bergen Tunnels.

a reply to: research100

I think he was slumped over the controls after impact. The train slammed into a wall doing 40-50mph. I would be to.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
I am thinking operator error as well.

Typically, before shift the crew is tasked with familiarizing with a track bulletin that explains where things like, speed restrictions, compromised rail segments, work crews, important signals, ECT, will be present......


So either the engineer had a medical issue, was not following his job, or somehow in on it.....

Before I left I know much of the railroads across the state's were gearing towards a new automated system that would take much of the human factor out of play......C.A.S.....it was called, i think? Possibly related?

originally posted by: GoShredAK
I am thinking operator error as well.
Typically, before shift the crew is tasked with familiarizing with a track bulletin that explains where things like, speed restrictions, compromised rail segments, work crews, important signals, ECT, will be present......so either the engineer had a medical issue, was not following his job, or somehow in on it.....
Before I left I know much of the railroads across the state's were gearing towards a new automated system that would take much of the human factor out of play......C.A.S.....it was called, i think? Possibly related?

If this were a regular engineer he would know this yard inside and out. The Gladstone Branch and the Morris and Essex, which the Gladstone connects with, is only about 60 miles from Hoboken to the railhead. The line is in very good shape so all slow areas are going to be due to curvature or crossovers.

PTC (positive train control) would not have been much good because if memory serves me the yard speed limit is below 10mph which would make that system most irrelevant.

a reply to: reldra

yes that was what I meant they found him slumped over the controls after the incident, he is alive...will be interesting to see what he says...if he remembers anything,,,any medical stuff comes to light...we will see

This is horrible. A lot of my coworkers commute in from Jersey into NYC every day.

a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

www.dailymail.co.uk...

they have recovered one of the 2 black boxes from the back of the train, it is not safe enough (collapses roof old building possible asbestos) yet to extract the 2nd one...driver was taken to the hospital and later released

Trains like the one in Thursday's crash also are equipped with an alerter system - a sort of dead man's device - that sounds a loud alarm and eventually stops the train if the engineer goes 15 to 20 seconds without touching the controls.
But it was unclear whether those mechanisms kicked in or would have made a difference if they had.

a reply to: research100

update

www.dailymail.co.uk...

conductor tested negative for drugs and alcohol, sabotage and foul play have been ruled out

a reply to: research100

UPDATE www.dailymail.co.uk...

apparently new jersey transit violated dozens of safety policies when they were audited a few months ago