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50 Comments
- NMRgentleman, on 06/24/2009, -1/+24At least it didn't happen while underground. That probably would have magnified the panic and complicated the rescue several times over.
- rwbrinso, on 06/24/2009, -0/+16Absolutely tragic.
- inactive, on 06/24/2009, -0/+8this is tragic, and this picture was posted via twitter by a friend who was in the area.
http://twitpic.com/859qd - MargotCross, on 06/24/2009, -0/+6just awful..
- Eskinsaurus, on 06/24/2009, -0/+6It's made commuting over the past few days a whole boat load of fun. A stopped train was hit by one that was moving at a relatively high velocity, the emergency brake of which was found in the wreckage to have been depressed. The trains involve date back to the 70's, and NTSB(National Transportation Safety Board) urged metro to replace them years ago. Tragic.
- williemain, on 06/24/2009, -2/+7awful...DC's mayor does however have huge veins in his temple.
- NMRgentleman, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4Actually, from what I've read, that sort of monitoring is exactly what the Washington Metro system does. There is also equipment on each train designed to force-prevent collisions between trains no matter what the operator or base computers are doing. This may be a case of multiple concurrent failures, equipment and operator.
- Chahrlie5, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4Scared the ***** out of me, my gf rides the red ride line to/from work, thankfully for her in the opposite direction of the crash.
Still, when I got home from work and saw this on the news I got nervous.
Riding the metro always sucks, having this on your mind now is worse.
I don't get how they can charge so much to ride the metro yet still always be broke and have old as ***** machinery. They need to get rid of the overpaid/unionized work force and use those savings to upgrade the lines and lower fares. Look at Japan. - ethanji22, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4It's still safer than driving...
- magamiako, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3@NMRgentleman:
Actually, one of the trains (the rear train) did not have the safety mechanisms that have been in place. The train in the front did in fact have those. The rear train didn't even have a black box. Apparently it's of the older models that was put into service in the late 1970's.
The NTSB made many recommendations that the DC Metro retrofit the older trains or to take them out of service--neither of the changes were made.
While it will be difficult to see what specifically was the cause, the overreaching cause has to largely do with the fact that it simply costs too much money to actually do some of the things that were requested. And someone in control of the money said "well it's been in operation for 30 years the chance of something tragic happening is slim to none" and decided not to sign off on the changes needed.
This is standard operating procedure at both the private and public level to try and save a few bucks. Unless it's forcefully beaten into their heads to make a change, the change won't get made.
Either way, once it all unfolds--someone's head is going to be on the chopping block, and well--nothing will change. - mikedoth, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2It's far from perfect. And clean i'd have to dispute, but clean enough I suppose.
- MacTyler, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2wow ive ridden on those before...
- pegothejerk, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3Maybe let's hold off on mass producing flying cars for a bit longer..
- beersk, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2Heh, that's my friends dad. He is kind of amazing. So is his mustache.
- mnemy, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2Depends. Are you counting muggings, etc that are far more likely to happen on a train than in your own car?
- ZiggityZhang, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3our thoughts and sympathies go to the families affected
- dmm219, on 06/25/2009, -0/+1yea, unfortunately, this is what happens when your public transit system is too expensive and underfunded. People, you can't have your cake and eat it to. Its just reality. The Metro has been bleeding red ink for 20 years. Citizens in the DC area continue to vote down funding increases for the Metro. As what was said above...you get what you pay for...
- verkon, on 06/25/2009, -0/+1you get what you pay for.
- mnemy, on 06/24/2009, -0/+1At the very basics, they need to at least install GPS devices on all running trains. The conductor should have a monitor where he can see where all other nearby trains are. This is very very basic and can be done very cheaply if they have the infrastructure in place for the more modern trains.
- bubbameister33, on 06/24/2009, -0/+1Why was your friend hiding in the bushes?
- inactive, on 06/25/2009, -0/+1@gonefishing yah i live in haymarket/gainesville area. but i work in fairfax and the vienna metro station was just packed the next day..
and my Aunt got 2 days off. she works in DC and one of her co workers might have been in that accident. not sure tho - Chahrlie5, on 06/25/2009, -0/+1Someone was held at gunpoint on the rockville metro platform a couple months ago, pretty ***** up.
- joecomputerguy, on 06/24/2009, -0/+1Comment fail...
- AmericanGunner, on 06/24/2009, -0/+1Okay that was good.
- tomarocco, on 06/25/2009, -0/+1America and trains don't mix.
- pin0chet, on 06/25/2009, -0/+1As someone who has taken the DC metro home past midnight hundreds of times over the past couple years, I can say that muggings aren't too frequent on DC trains. Yes, they happen sometimes, but driving is still orders of magnitude deadlier from a statistical standpoint.
- inactive, on 06/25/2009, -0/+1the cops didnt want anyone near the scene so he had to like cross a couple trees and fences to get to that spot. and then cops asking him to leave the scene.
thats why he was in the bushes - carbonetc, on 06/24/2009, -0/+1Wow. I hadn't seen the crash location until now. I used to ride that track every week. I recognize the scenery in the photos. Surreal.
- EnTaroTassadar, on 06/24/2009, -0/+1Looks like somebody didn't do their hilariously convoluted math homework.
- suavek2000, on 06/25/2009, -0/+0Always ride in the middle.
- GoneFishing, on 06/24/2009, -1/+1don't know about your friend, but i live in alexandria, and it was ***** crazy i didn't have to go to work that day. *****! crazy! man!
- jeltringham, on 06/24/2009, -3/+3You haven't lived in the District in quite some time, apparently. Metro is pretty bad. (Not THIS bad, but pretty bad.)
- kleon777, on 06/24/2009, -1/+1This is old news. I clearly remember blaming this on Obama yesterday.
- freakFlag, on 06/24/2009, -0/+0Just remember, these trains were 105% controlled by computers ... who made the software? How well was it tested? Was it ever changed? Was it ever updated? etc.
Final Question, was this crash attributable to human error? Hal can you hear me? - Subduction, on 06/24/2009, -2/+1Do you not know how Digg works?
- DavidNiven, on 06/24/2009, -6/+5I used to live in Washington, D.C. I can say that their Metro system is first class, clean, and on time. This is such a rare occurrence that I would immediately look to sabotage, possibly an inside job. There are many backup systems and processes in place to prevent such a crash, the last being the conductor in the front car who can control the train manually at any time including use of an emergency brake.
That this happened is a breakdown of systems and situational awareness on every level. Rare, but it does happen. - BlueCollarCrime, on 06/24/2009, -1/+0What about the guy next to him in the toy fireman's hat?
I used to have one of those. More convincing in red. - papashawn, on 06/24/2009, -2/+1ran a train on that bitch
- MWeather, on 06/24/2009, -6/+3They call me Mr. Glass.
- bigpappapunk, on 06/24/2009, -7/+3great photos.....minus the death/injury thing
- mnemy, on 06/24/2009, -5/+1This should never, ever, happen. With technology as it is, it would be a simple matter to be able to monitor where all trains are at all times, their speeds, etc. There should even be built in failsafes that force trains to stop if the computer system thinks there will be a collision.
There is simply no excuse for this. The train companies need to invest in updating their tech. Such an avoidable disaster. - inactive, on 06/24/2009, -7/+1What a trainwreck.
- cyrusuncc, on 06/24/2009, -9/+3Is it just me or does the fire chief look a bit silly in his hat?
- for20, on 06/24/2009, -6/+0not everyone can drive in a straight line
- Lawlmuffin, on 06/24/2009, -7/+1I accidentally both trains.
- EverybodyPanic, on 06/24/2009, -9/+1The train crash was a false flag operation from the Pentagon to instigate fear and justify a war in Iran.
- pokobunt, on 06/24/2009, -8/+0Ouch.
- inactive, on 06/24/2009, -10/+1Breaking news, yesterday!
A truly tragic incident, one that likely occurred without much warning. Something like this only happens once in a blue moon, and when it does, it's quite rattling to anyone who has ridden on a subway system.
I wonder when they'll figure out how many died. I heard the DC mayor this morning say it was, "only 7, not 9 as reported". -
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