by "bwp240" (bwp240)
Published 12/18/2017 at 11:40
by "bwp240" (bwp240)
Published 12/18/2017 at 11:40
Tags: news
; amtrak
; train
STARS: 0
It was the first day of high speed service for the area. It appears that the train came off the rails at a curve. Outlets reporting last known speed of ~81mph. The scene has been declared a mass casualty incident. Let’s hope everyone is okay, no formal count of injuries of fatalities yet...
If you are in Seattle, probably should avoid I5.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Live Stream:
http://www.king5.com/article/news/local/king-5-live-video/135163344
Added CBS Live Stream:
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Update: Per the Sheriff’s department there have been fatalities and several injuries as well as several motor vehicles struck. Unknown if the fatalities are on the train or in cars.
Update (from Gamecat235): Pierce County Sheriff’s Office has detailed photos on their twitter account: https://twitter.com/piercesheriff?lang=en (Looks bad )
"fintail" (fintail)
12/18/2017 at 11:55, STARS: 1
Fortunately for commuters in Seattle proper, this is about 40 miles south of town. A real distance where a 15 mile commute likely averages an hour each way.
I can hope the casualty claims are less than expected. Terrible incident for those the train and road below, and a nightmare in an area without easy detour.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
12/18/2017 at 11:55, STARS: 0
Forget self driving cars, self driving trains need to be a thing ASAP. It already has priority lanes and specialized signals, there are plenty of trains that also drive themselves elsewhere in the world, and it would make operating a rail system become cheaper over time. All of these recent train mishaps make investment in any sort of mass transit very difficult and will continue to perpetuate the traffic nightmare due to everyone driving everywhere.
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
12/18/2017 at 11:56, STARS: 2
“Should we conduct a risk assessment before increasing service speeds?”
“Nah just do it.”
"bwp240" (bwp240)
12/18/2017 at 11:58, STARS: 0
Honestly, I think that may be a contributing factor...
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/18/2017 at 11:59, STARS: 0
Sounds like the plot of “Singles 2”
Very scary, I hope the news is relatively good...
"bwp240" (bwp240)
12/18/2017 at 12:04, STARS: 2
There already are self driving trains. Autonomy is a lot easier on rails...
"Mid Engine" (jdlogan2006)
12/18/2017 at 12:09, STARS: 0
Train left Tacoma, headed south for Portland. It made it ~ 20 miles before de-railing near Olympia. Surreal..
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
12/18/2017 at 12:14, STARS: 0
Of course. I just think its insane that Amtrak refuses to pay the costs to upgrade the rails for this. Or even the freight companies or whoever actually owns the rails. I would have to think the bad press from the crashes has to make the upgrades worth it.
"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
12/18/2017 at 12:15, STARS: 1
Autonomous underground trains have been around a long time, but automating mainline, overground trains is a much bigger task than many think and a hugely expensive one as well. At the end of the day, you’re only saving one driver per train and possibly replacing him/her with a train manager or similar grade (to avoid a situation where there train breaks down in a remote area and there’s absolutely nobody to assist passengers) and rail is already a very safe form of travel. I’m not familiar with the US and its safety record, but I know that the UK,. a country with an extensive rail network, hasn’t had lost a passenger or crew member in more than ten years. So far as I know train operators haven’t even begun to think about full automation.
"Gamecat235" (Gamecat235)
12/18/2017 at 12:16, STARS: 0
FYI - Added an update to your post.
"MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s" (mastermario)
12/18/2017 at 12:20, STARS: 4
Haven’t you ever heard the phrase “corners like it’s on rails”, well trains are literally on rails so of course they can corner fast, we don’t need to do any testing /s
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
12/18/2017 at 12:21, STARS: 0
I get why the authorities post these pictures, but I don’t agree with it. It just creates speculation by the public, interfering with an objective investigation.
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
12/18/2017 at 12:22, STARS: 0
Oh hi Washington DC Metro
"Gamecat235" (Gamecat235)
12/18/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 1
At this point, given the number of false flag bullshit idiots out there, the more transparency and the more accuracy as things are reported the better.
Also even these images from agencies are generally pretty curated / carefully selected / framed.
And lets not even talk about the dumbshits who try to get close for pictures who don’t belong on site.
"bwp240" (bwp240)
12/18/2017 at 12:30, STARS: 1
Thanks, feel free to add new info.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
12/18/2017 at 12:52, STARS: 0
The public will speculate with or without the availability of photographs or video. Good thing the public aren’t the ones doing the investigating. That’ll be up to the professionals trained to do just that.
Meanwhile, access to information, dissemination of that info, and consumption of that media is our guaranteed right. And as Gamecat said below, the images are pretty well curated. American law enforcement and American media are generally a LOT more conservative about what images make it to the public during catastrophic events. There are exceptions to that unwritten rule, but they’re usually made judiciously (like during the Oklahoma City bombing , or The Falling Man of 9/11, which is an image so powerful it is now known by that name).
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
12/18/2017 at 13:11, STARS: 0
It reminds me of the Boston Marathon aftermath, or the NTSB deciding to post pictures from inside Asiana flight 214 for no particular reason.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
12/18/2017 at 13:25, STARS: 0
It seems like there has been 3 or 4 major crashes in the past two years where multiple people have died, many were injured, and it was a catastrophe of sorts shutting down the rail lines and impacting traffic (In the US). This just seems like a big problem I would imagine.
"facw" (facw)
12/18/2017 at 13:28, STARS: 0
Of course, for the railroads, the big benefit of better signalling (including autonomous operation) is that they can reduce headways and fit more trains on given piece of track. However most rail isn’t so heavily used (especially by high speed trains) for that to be important.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
12/18/2017 at 13:33, STARS: 0
I think I know which photo in particular you’re referring to in the case of the Boston Marathon. That photo was grotesque and grisly, but I think it was absolutely necessary.
I don’t remember the photos from the Asiana flight so I can’t offer a comment there.
But I will always, ALWAYS err on the side of the preservation of press freedoms (even when that press imagery comes from handouts from official entities) than I will the censorship of speech.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
12/18/2017 at 13:33, STARS: 0
I think I know which photo in particular you’re referring to in the case of the Boston Marathon. That photo was grotesque and grisly, but I think it was absolutely necessary.
I don’t remember the photos from the Asiana flight so I can’t offer a comment there.
But I will always, ALWAYS err on the side of the preservation of press freedoms (even when that press imagery comes from handouts from official entities) than I will the censorship of speech.
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
12/18/2017 at 13:52, STARS: 0
Oh I agree on press freedom, but it confuses me why the authorities so willingly put out these images. I also know the photo of the man in the wheelchair, but I was thinking of the large overhead shots of the crowd that people used to look for potential suspects. It just creates distractions for the investigators as they have to explain why they don’t know if the internet theories are correct.
"Out, but with a W - has found the answer" (belg)
12/18/2017 at 14:35, STARS: 0
Was it actually put into service without testing?
"Out, but with a W - has found the answer" (belg)
12/18/2017 at 14:40, STARS: 0
The first steps toward mainline ATO (Automatic Train Operation) are being made, but it still includes a driver in the cab. It’s investigated mainly to increase line throughput, by coordinating acceleration/deceleration of multiple trains and avoiding the accordeon effect.
