Crossing crash in Utah

[neonison]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38750698

There seemed to be no warning lights until after the event.
No reports of injuries.

Truck trailer smashed in two by commuter train

Police in Utah have released dramatic dashcam footage showing the moment a train and truck collided.

The North Salt Lake Police Department video shows the trailer behind the FedEx truck cut in half by a commuter train.

Flashing lights and bells at the train crossing were not activated.

 

[philthetube]

I bet that truck driver is glad someone had a dashcam.

 

[jopsuk]

Blimey. Some major questions to be answered there, and lucky for everyone involved that the train hit a lightweight parcels trailer. I'm guessing the dashcam driver spotted the train coming just in time, as he reverses clear

 

[ac6000cw]

Blimey. Some major questions to be answered there, and lucky for everyone involved that the train hit a lightweight parcels trailer. I'm guessing the dashcam driver spotted the train coming just in time, as he reverses clear

Yes indeed - since the barriers came down when the train reached the far side of the crossing, it looks like there has been a detection failure on the approach side. I wonder if the weather conditions had any bearing on this, although I would think that locos with 30+ tonne axle loads shouldn't have much trouble breaking through ice and snow on the railhead. US crossings usually use 'predictors' (a form of AC track circuit) for train detection and speed sensing - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_crossing_signals#Modern_devices

 

[Ploughman]

Is it a single track crossing or a double?
One coming the other way?

 

[ac6000cw]

There is a thread on the Trains forum discussing the accident - http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/260837.aspx?page=1 - it seems that there had been 'right side' failures earlier in the day (crossing activated with no train present), and an S&T technician was possibly on-site at the time. Looking rather like safety-critical procedures to cover this situation may not have been properly followed...

Quote from http://fox13now.com/2017/01/24/caught-on-video-uta-frontrunner-train-crashes-into-fedex-truck/ :

NORTH SALT LAKE, Utah — North Salt Lake police have released dashboard camera video (above) showing the moment a Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner train crashed into a FedEx truck Saturday morning.
According to UTA, a preliminary investigation shows the crossing gates were up and the flashing lights and bells that normally indicate a train is approaching were not active.

"In the event of a power outage or lack of signal, crossing gates are programmed to default to the “down and active” position as a safety precaution. Preliminary information indicates the gates were affected by the severe ice and snow conditions at the time and were in the default “down and active” position, as they are programmed. After an employee responded to the location, the gates moved to the up position. The agency has never had an accident like this before, and UTA is investigating why and how it happened to ensure it doesn’t occur again," UTA wrote in a statement released Tuesday."

 

[ac6000cw]

Is it a single track crossing or a double?
One coming the other way?

Probably single track, but I don't know for sure.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I think it was a UTA Frontrunner service (Provo-Ogden via Salt lake City).
It uses the Union Pacific route, and I think this is double track but operated mostly as a pair of single track routes.
One track is used by UTA for commuter trains, and the other by UP for freight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FrontRunner

I last visited the area in 2000, when the passenger rail scene in Salt Lake seemed entirely moribund.
It's amazing what has happened since, in commuter terms, with both main line and metro services.

 

[MarkyT]

I think this is double track but operated mostly as a pair of single track routes. One track is used by UTA for commuter trains, and the other by UP for freight.

I wonder if the tech and dispatcher came to some misunderstanding over which of the independent lines had been isolated. If the networks are segregated to the extent that different dispatchers are in charge of the parallel tracks in the area there are even more possibilities for misunderstandings.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I wonder if the tech and dispatcher came to some misunderstanding over which of the independent lines had been isolated. If the networks are segregated to the extent that different dispatchers are in charge of the parallel tracks in the area there are even more possibilities for misunderstandings.

Looks like it was human error, and not a signalling problem.
http://www.standard.net/Police-Fire...result-of-human-error-employee-fired-UTA-says

Prior to the crash, the crossing gates were lowered due to snow and ice conditions that caused the arms to go into safety mode. A UTA crew was sent to the area to fix the problem.
“The investigation verified that the signal system functioned properly, and went into a safe, down and active mode, as it’s programmed to do,” UTA Chief Safety and Security Officer Dave Goeres said in the release.
An employee raised the gates at the intersection without following proper safety protocols, UTA officials said

There's some interesting reader comment in the linked piece.

 

[MarkyT]

Looks like it was human error, and not a signalling problem.

The allegedly negligent employee has been fired now by the UTA. Previously the company said he was fully experienced and certified.

 

[Taunton]

So they got a crossing failure where the gates activated when there was no train, followed by them not activating when there WAS a train. And they had an accident. And the management then say it has all functioned properly.

“The investigation verified that the signal system functioned properly, and went into a safe, down and active mode, as it’s programmed to do,” UTA Chief Safety and Security Officer Dave Goeres said in the release.

Clearly scope for him in the creative department of their PR organisation. Do the FRA etc believe such rubbish?

 

[ac6000cw]

So they got a crossing failure where the gates activated when there was no train, followed by them not activating when there WAS a train. And they had an accident. And the management then say it has all functioned properly.

Clearly scope for him in the creative department of their PR organisation. Do the FRA etc believe such rubbish?

I think you've missed the bit (from LNW-GW Joint's post) I've put in bold below:

Prior to the crash, the crossing gates were lowered due to snow and ice conditions that caused the arms to go into safety mode. A UTA crew was sent to the area to fix the problem.
“The investigation verified that the signal system functioned properly, and went into a safe, down and active mode, as it’s programmed to do,” UTA Chief Safety and Security Officer Dave Goeres said in the release.
An employee raised the gates at the intersection without following proper safety protocols, UTA officials said

i.e. the crossing was suffering 'right side' failures, a crew was sent out to investigate the problem, who then raised the barriers without following the correct procedures to ensure it was safe to do so.

That said, I suspect this isn't the whole story of what happened (in system terms) and that the FRA/NTSB are going to be crawling all over how UTA handles their safety critical work and procedures.

 

[MarkyT]

i.e. the crossing was suffering 'write side' failures, a crew was sent out to investigate the problem, who then raised the barriers without following the correct procedures to ensure it was safe to do so

"Right side" is the correct term for the initial failed state. The outcome overall was "wrong side" but that was down to the deliberate action of the maintainer rather than any specific equipment failure.

 

[Groningen]

UTA fires employee for causing accident involving FrontRunner train, FedEx truck

A Utah Transit Authority employee has been terminated for failing to follow the company's procedures and protocols, resulting in a FrontRunner commuter train crashing into a FedEx semi-trailer earlier this month. The dramatic accident, which happened on January 21 in North Salt Lake, was captured on video (above). As seen in the video, the railroad crossing arms were up and the flashing lights and bells that would normally signal an approaching train were not active.

UTA investigator Dave Goeres told FOX 13 the sensor that normally detects when a train is passing and activates those safety features had been blocked by weather conditions. UTA has a protection system that causes the crossing arms to drop in such a situation, in order to prevent any accidents. But a UTA employee who responded to the scene to investigate the sensor allegedly bypassed the protection system, against the company's Standard Operating Procedures, which made the road/train intersection vulnerable to accidents.

“We have determined that the gates were raised by a UTA employee who responded to the scene, and the accident was caused by human error. The investigation verified that the signal system functioned properly, and went into a safe, down and active mode, as it’s programmed to do,” said UTA Chief Safety and Security Officer Dave Goeres in a statement sent to FOX 13. The statement goes on to explain that the company's standard procedures state that the protection system is to be in place and verified with operators prior to getting authorization to raise the gates, but this did not occur in the January 21 incident.

"UTA wants to take this opportunity to reiterate that safety is our top priority and our system is safe. However, we would like to emphasize that our workers and the public should always be aware of their surroundings when near rail crossings and rail cars. It is safe to cross at road crossings when the red lights are not flashing—however, people should never enter a rail crossing if the lights are flashing and should never go around a lowered gate," the statement said. No one was seriously injured in the incident.

Source: Fox 13 Salt Lake City

 

[ac6000cw]

"Right side" is the correct term for the initial failed state.

Oops - I well know that, my brain must have had a case of 'wrong side' failure when I typed 'write side'

 

[Groningen]

I have found the crossing at 40.861651, -111.910260 and it has 4 tracks.

 

[MarkyT]

I have found the crossing at 40.861651, -111.910260 and it has 4 tracks.

A complex crossing. Up to eight separate strike ins. There are freight lines/sidings either side of the single passenger track. As an aside I note the siding to the east of the passenger track has trap points at it's connection to the passenger line. I believe that's unusual in the US, but maybe a trend for new passenger networks like UTAs?

 

[Taunton]

i.e. the crossing was suffering 'right side' failures, a crew was sent out to investigate the problem, who then raised the barriers without following the correct procedures to ensure it was safe to do so.
.

I don't believe I have missed anything.

Firstly a Right Side Failure is a Failure. So saying "the signal system functioned properly" is a nonsense. Then a technician worked on it and they had a Wrong Side Failure. That's another Failure. It's like saying grandly about the Clapham accident that the signal had indeed functioned "as it was programmed to do", just that the technician had programmed it wrong.

Actually a closer parallel would be the collision inside the Severn Tunnel between an HST and a Class 150 following the umpteenth axle counter failure in there, and the HST "somehow" managing to be given a clear while the tech staff were working with their screwdrivers on the equipment.

Meanwhile, back in Utah, don't you just love this "Hey, we fired the Tech Guy". Anyone would think this was The Apprentice. Fire him, on we go. Level crossing failure, train fully fitted with radio, did the Dispatcher's procedure for such a situation have him caution the train? No? Why not?

Incidentally, I notice the Utah line is proudly touting their "quiet" environmental credentials, no classic US "long-long-short-long" whistle approaching the crossing for them - even in falling snow at a failed level crossing it seems. So even if the trucker had opened his window approaching the crossing to listen for any whistle (as plenty do in the USA) he would have heard no warning.