Derailment in the Bronx (New York City)

[ainsworth74]

Looks to be fairly major, BBC are reporting that US media have said at least four fatalities and dozens injured with five of seven vehicles derailed:

New York train crash: Metro-North derailment in Bronx

A passenger train has derailed in the Bronx area of New York City, prompting a major emergency services response amid US media reports of at least four deaths.

Five of the Metro-North train's seven carriages came off the tracks, New York's transport authority said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said the derailment had occurred near Spuyten Duyvil station.

Hudson Line services had been suspended, it added.

The train was the 05:54 from Poughkeepsie, due to arrive at Grand Central Station at 07:43, ABC News said.

The Fire Department of New York says the derailment occurred at 07:20, causing "multiple injuries", and that 130 firefighters were on the scene.

Earlier reports from the scene said carriages had gone into a nearby body of water, but the MTA has denied this.

Eyewitness Edwin Valero told the Associated Press that at least one carriage had ended up a few feet from the edge.

Source: BBC News

 

[w0033944]

Looks to be fairly major, BBC are reporting that US media have said at least four fatalities and dozens injured with five of seven vehicles derailed:



Source: BBC News

From the photos now on the BBC site, it would appear as though the rearmost carriage was resting on the bank.

 

[fsmr]

From the photos now on the BBC site, it would appear as though the rearmost carriage was resting on the bank.

On a curve already eyewitnesses on board saying it was travelling much faster than normal. Loco hauled and loco and all coaches in the dirt, some having partially rolled ejecting pax. The loco was at the rear pushing and the whole lot came off at the start of the curve with the leading coach ending up the furthest off in a tangent. Rumours on the news the driver wasn't in control at the time whatever that means although officials not confirming
Good news if there can be is that everyone is now rescued or confirmed dead at the scene

 

[ainsworth74]

Hmm I was thinking that speed might have been a factor what with the curve and the way the vehicles are lying. I guess we should be grateful that there was a little strip of land between the track and the derailment site, I dread to think what would have happened if the track had been right next to the water.

 

[the sniper]

ITV News saying what the driver did at the back of the train will be important... Why? Because the loco was at the back and the great minds at ITN obviously can't understand push-pull operation. :roll:

I'm surprised they didn't surmise that he was going too fast around the corner because he was sat in the back cab and couldn't see where he was going. :-x

God I hate the mainstream media...

 

[Genocide]

This is the curve off the Hudson onto Metro-North's road up the Sputen-Duyville. Off the top of my head it's a 25 turn-out.

Loco would have been at the back as standard formation and driver would have been in cab car.

Who knows? This is the Metro-North road to GC - straight on at the junction is now Amtrak/CSX so driver should have known the road.

 

[tigerroar]

This is the curve off the Hudson onto Metro-North's road up the Sputen-Duyville. Off the top of my head it's a 25 turn-out.

Loco would have been at the back as standard formation and driver would have been in cab car.

Who knows? This is the Metro-North road to GC - straight on at the junction is now Amtrak/CSX so driver should have known the road.

Where does that line go to?

 

[edwin_m]

Amtrak goes down the West Side of Manhattan before turning left into Penn. Abandoned freight line taken over by Amtrak ten or more years back when they concentrated their services on Penn.

 

[fsmr]

Just been confirmed they are recovering the OTMR so they will have all they need, plus a mostly intact wreck and no fire. No word on if the driver in the leading DVT style coach survived or if there was another crew in the rear pushing loco as well

Edit
Driver is reported to have survived injured thankfully so they at least have a starting point

 

[talltim]

Doubt there would be a crew on the loco, what's the point?

 

[fsmr]

Doubt there would be a crew on the loco, what's the point?

staff moves

 

[Searle]

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/1/commuter-train-derailsinbronxcausinginjuries.html

might contain a little more information. Apparently trains slow to about 30 for that section.

It's quite surreal, that was a bit that I went over in my visit to NY last summer, and I do recall it being extremely tight.

 

[maniacmartin]

The BBC news article has been updated.

An official from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is quoted by the New York Times newspaper as saying that the train operator had reported that it was going into the turn too fast and that he had performed an emergency braking manoeuvre.

The operator told the first rescuers to reach the scene that he had "dumped" the brakes, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Dumping the brakes is said to be a last-resort move that has the effect of slamming on the emergency brakes on all the cars of a train at once. It is usually done to avert a collision with another train or a vehicle at a grade-level crossing, the New York Times reports.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Speculation again - the FRA and the investigators will work out what happened.

 

[fsmr]

Data just released that she was running at 82mph into a 30 mph curve
Not said why that was the case yet

 

[Crossover]

Seems a touch reminiscent of the incident a few weeks ago...luckily there was no concrete wall this time...

 

[YorkshireBear]

Seems a touch reminiscent of the incident a few weeks ago...luckily there was no concrete wall this time...

It could have been equally as bad if the front coaches had made it a bit further towards the water.

But as you say fortunate that there wasn't a concrete wall.

RIP to those who sadly lost their lives.

 

[Searle]

New info: the train was travelling at 82mph as it entered the curve with a 30mph speed restriction. That is crazy x_x

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...going-82-mph-in-30-mph-zone-before-crash?lite

 

[notadriver]

He was powering until 6 seconds before it derailed ?

They really need overspeed protection for bends in my opinion.

 

[noblergt]

What is especially crazy is that the section before the 30mph curve is *only* 70mph, so something was seriously amiss here...

 

[notadriver]

What do you mean ? (Seriously)

 

[noblergt]

I just meant that there its more than just a case of the driver failing to slow down for the curve (for whatever reason) since he was going 12mph faster than the speed limit on the straight section leading up to it. I dunno if its all on a big downhill slope though.

 

[notadriver]

I just meant that there its more than just a case of the driver failing to slow down for the curve (for whatever reason) since he was going 12mph faster than the speed limit on the straight section leading up to it. I dunno if its all on a big downhill slope though.

Yes the speeding isn't good but I can think of a few places that have a tight bend like this in the UK but they are all protected.

 

[b0b]

(Reuters) - The driver of a New York commuter train that derailed on Sunday, killing four people, told investigators he "lost focus" and went into a daze shortly before the crash, according to a law-enforcement source.

A second source also briefed on the investigation said the driver, William Rockefeller, 46, lapsed into a "highway hypnosis."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-derailment-newyork-20131201,0,5916750.story

 

[fsmr]

(Reuters) - The driver of a New York commuter train that derailed on Sunday, killing four people, told investigators he "lost focus" and went into a daze shortly before the crash, according to a law-enforcement source.

A second source also briefed on the investigation said the driver, William Rockefeller, 46, lapsed into a "highway hypnosis."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-derailment-newyork-20131201,0,5916750.story

Well that answered the post earlier on of mine that they belived tve engineerr was not in full control
Sad given his experience

 

[Royston Vasey]

News outlets here in the US now discussing a "revolutionary" beacon system that would stop overspeeding and collisions due to SPADs. Basically balise-based ATP like the GWML has, although with many of the enhancements that ERTMS embodies, including satellite tracking.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/03/21723979-new-york-crash-could-add-pressure-on-railroads-to-adopt-new-safety-technology

This system has long in place on the North East Corridor, the main Amtrak route which also carries Acela high speed trains.

 

[Wyvern]

Reminiscent of the trouble the Brits had back in the nineteenth century to get passenger companies to fit through brakes.

Nowadays of course they'd expect the Dft to do it (paid for by the taxpayer) Privatised profit and socialised loss.