Faulty Amtrak train may be behind '04 crash

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OwlCaboose2853
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Faulty Amtrak train may be behind '04 crash

Unread post by OwlCaboose2853 »

Published January 2, 2005

Faulty Amtrak train may be behind '04 crash
Failure to trigger Charlotte signal could be cause

By Sharon Terlep
Lansing State Journal
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 0102/NEWS0

Federal regulators are investigating whether Amtrak trains have faults that contributed to a crash that killed a Charlotte woman and her daughter this spring, according to a report this week by the New York Times.

Local people were surprised to learn the Federal Railroad Administration is looking into whether "a type of Amtrak train" may not be properly triggering warning signals at crossings.

Charlotte police determined this summer that a railroad gate failed to lower in time to stop Melanie Pouch, 45, from driving into the path of an oncoming train with her 15-year-old daughter, Meghann.

Local officials said they were told the investigation centered on the signals and the tracks, which are owned by Canadian National Railway Co. Authorities determined early that the train that collided with Pouch's vehicle was not speeding.

But, according to the Times report, the Federal Railroad Administration has found the warning signal failed, "possibly because Amtrak's braking equipment and practices, along with accumulated material on the tracks, had impeded the electrical current."

The Times investigation looked into whether Amtrak trains have a history of malfunctions that threaten passengers and motorists.

Eaton County Prosecutor Jeff Sauter said the county would likely stick with its decision not to issue charges, even if Amtrak suspected problems. He said it would be hard to prove the train operator was negligent, which is what criminal law requires.

A woman who answered the phone at the home of Russell Pouch, Meghann's father, said their attorney advised the family not to comment.

Amtrak officials say they don't know why the Charlotte signal malfunctioned. There have been no instances of Amtrak trains causing short signals, spokeswoman Tracy Connell said Saturday in a statement.

Amtrak changed its brakes and braking procedures on certain trains after the Charlotte crash. Conductors now apply brake pressure at 10-mile intervals, and the new brake shoes provide a rougher surface.

"Safety is Amtrak's top priority," Connell said in the statement.

Canadian National has received at least 15 complaints in five years of malfunctioning safety gates at the Charlotte crossing.

Canadian National didn't return calls Friday or Saturday. The company, which is conducting an internal investigation, has said the crossing passed inspections twice in 11 days before the crash.

Between 1999 and 2003, at least 45 people were killed and 130 injured in 400 train accidents at crossings where the signals did not work or were suspected of not working, according to the Times.

Railroad gates are activated when a train enters a block of electrical currents on the track, railway officials said. The bells, lights and gates normally activate about 20 seconds to 30 seconds before the train arrives at the crossing.

Jeffrey Schultz of Charlotte was sitting yards away with his wife in their car when the train collided with Pouch's four-door Pontiac. He said the gates went down far too late to stop the car.

"I was in disbelief," Schultz said. "If (Amtrak) knew there was a problem, they need to step up and take responsibility."
Last edited by OwlCaboose2853 on Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

RailCanon
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Brakes???

Unread post by RailCanon »

I find it hard to believe that braking systems could cause a signal system to Malfunction. I think a derailment near that crossing in late 1998 damaged the northbound track relays and are causing the signals to malfunction. The first recorded malfunction of those signals was only shortly after the derailment.

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