September 23, 2009
/24-7PressRelease/ --
Investigators Closing in on Cause of D.C. Metro Crash
Article provided by Frederick J. Brynn, P.C.
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A story that mentions both Washington, D.C., and a malfunction in the system usually comes as no surprise.
But in June, the malfunction wasn't in the political system, it was in the commuter train system. And it was deadly.
An inbound Metro train plowed into the back of a stationary train during rush hour. Nine people died and dozens of passengers were injured in the worst crash in the system's history.
The National Transportation Safety Board said that investigators have been focusing attention on track circuit modules, designed to detect the presence of a train using audio frequencies that are transmitted automatically between the steel rails and the next train down the line. Records show that circuits -- part of a system that's been in place for over thirty years -- have recently been failing across several of the transit system's lines, suggesting that the technological problem responsible for the crash in June may be widespread.
The system was supposed to avert the possibility of a crash, by automatically braking and stopping the trains if the distance between them became too close. Since the accident, investigators have replaced different components, and inconsistencies have been found in other track circuits on different route lines. There is speculation that malfunctions may be related to track maintenance, or a disabled track circuit, which would be unable to detect a broken or damaged rail, potentially causing a derailment.
To combat the issue, inspectors are now making daily checks of the track circuitry, rather than running a monthly computerized report as before. Extensive testing is also being done on the components within the modules, to determine how any changes made to the actual components might affect the performance of the system. Repair crews had made adjustments to critical components at the site of the accident as recently as five days before the crash. Evaluations are being made to find any link between those adjustments and the system's failure.
Metro officials, as well as federal investigators, are unclear as to what caused the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board has stated that apparently the system didn't detect the stationary train, and the train in motion that followed did not receive the command to slow or stop. The train's protection system has been declared inadequate and the transit agency has been urged to add a real-time backup system.
Track circuit systems are in the process of being upgraded, slated for completion by the end of 2010. Lacking a definitive explanation for the system's failure, concern remains for those who ride the rails, that it could happen again.
Article provided by Frederick J. Brynn, P.C.
Visit us at
www.brynnlawoffice.com---
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