Metrolink: A system forged from freight lines

Why couldn't a realtively simple system such as ATS (Automatic Train Stop) be employed on all Metrolink lines? It has been in place on the San Diego line since after World War 2 and seems to work quite well.

I have worked in the railroad industry for close to 30 years now and I can relate this: The line to San Diego that Metrolink and Amtrak shares with the BNSF is equipped with ATS (Automatic Train Stop), a relatively simple system that employs a trip bar that raises up when a signal is red, and will actuate a valve on the side of the locomotive putting the brakes in full emergency if passed. This system was put in place by the Santa Fe Railroad after World War 2, and it is required by the FRA only when speeds exceed 79 MPH. This simple system has saved many lives over the years. Unfortunately only Metrolink, Coaster and Amtrak passenger locomotives are equipped with ATS, not the freight locomotives, as there are thousands of those and they are not assigned to run on dedicated routes.

In this computer era, GPS, autopilots, sensors of all kinds, one thinks this accident should have been prevented by automatic controls. What if a conductor suffers a stroke, faints or is going through a personal crisis, suicital feelings or any other reason for lack of human control? Please educate us, this is a terrible tragedy.

Jeff Greenfield, not of CBS,

Union Station was not built until 1939? About 35 years after the event you describe? At this time, even Union Pacific was still over 10 years away from arriving in Los Angeles>

The Southern Pacific couldn't gi through Rhoda Ring's Malibu ranch (there weren't many "residents" back then?) . She built a small railroad of her own to keep SP from gaining the franchise to build via that way,. The SP's "Malibu" line to Santa Barbara, would have connected to today's Expo Line, if it had been built..

A little nostalgia for simpler times after a traumatic event helps us all heal just a little bit.

BOB2

CBS is reporting that the engineer may have been text messaging just before the crash.

http://cbs2.com/local/Metrolink.Engineer.Deadly.2.817045.html

Time to pass a hands free cell phone law for trains.

"You cannot put a price on human life but the toll in this tragedy should translate to a law suit that forces the rails to deed the whole system to the families of the victims."

We can and do put a price on human life. Did positive train control materialize on every track in Southern California after the Placentia crash in 2002?

After the 2005 Glendale crash, why did we not rush the sealed corridor program to completion? Where are the fences strong enough to hold back an SUV from getting on the tracks?

The point is that taxpayers do not want to pay for those things. We could make rail travel as safe as it could possibly be if we had the money.

If had the most advance equipment we could definitely reduce the number of accidents, you never ever fully eliminate the element of risk from any form of transportation.

I have run 2 red lights during my automobile driving days. Neither was deliberate, I never got a ticket, and both made me very angry with myself. That's just not something I do, but I did. Hopefully this system is more advanced than one where this collision could be caused by the dead Metro engineer making the mistake of running a red light.

"Third World" countries have better transit / rail infrastructures than the the southern California region. The only places that experience more fatalities are countries that are using 19th and early 20th century infrastructure and technologies, like India and Pakistan who use the rail system installed by the British imperialists to better control their conquest.

My condolences go to the families of the victims.

It is important to finally start giving rail the funds needed to created a better system. I recently travelled to Germany and France and used their high speed rail lines. I felt safe at all times, the attention given to these is very high.

It is important for us to approved the high speed rail bond measure this november so that we can plan a better and safer system for california.

No one has mentioned the history of why the railroad tracks are even in the San Fernando Valley. The article mentions that the tunnels were built in the early 1900's. The reason is that Union Pacific and Southern Pacific in the early 1900's wanted tracks from San Diego to Washington State along the coast. But the then residents of Malibu did not want railroad tracks in their coastal community. So because the UP, SP, and Santa Fe all met at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, it was decided to bypass the coast at Malibu. Instead, the line went north into the San Fernando Valley, then two lines went west, meeting in Chatsworth. The southern most of these two lines now has been revamped into the MTA bus system's the Orange Line. I remember when there were train tracks there. They made deliveries to local lumber yards (Hull Brothers, DeCheco's). The only line left is the line where the crash occurred. In fact, the Chatsworth MetroLink Station is on the old line that most of which is now the Orange Bus Line. The line continued north through those tunnels into Simi Valley, then met the coast again in Oxnard, going north to Washington State. And that is why the tracks are where they are. They were originally supposed to be routed through Santa Monica and Malibu.

When a train is being pulled by a heavy large engine like the Metro link, the car behind it should be empty, In the accident the heavy large engine smashed into the passenger car behind it, a empty buffer car should be the rule in the future. When a train is being pushed by a engine from the rear , the front control car should be empty except for the engineer, If these rules are followed lives will be saved, Also these trains should have radar or navigation equipment to assist the employee.

This is unacceptable! - We are dependent on 19th century technology, there should be several computer systems that are managing traffic and any discrepency in any of them should shut all trains down. You cannot put a price on human life but the toll in this tragedy should translate to a law suit that forces the rails to deed the whole system to the families of the victims. This is NOT an accident. only this time one man cannot be blamed.

Nowhere in any article have I found the history of why the railroad tracks are where they are in the first place. The article says the tunnels were built in the early 1900's. Here is the rest of the story:

In the early 1900's, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific wanted railroad lines from San Diego up to Canada along the coast. UP, SP, and Santa Fe all met at Union Station in Los Angeles. But the plan to continue the route along the coast was stopped by the residents of Malibu in the early 1900's because they did not want a train track on their beach. So the route was rerouted north from Union Station, west across the San Fernando Valley with two lines going east; one is now torn up and is now the dedicated MTA Orange Line. That line used to serve delivery by train to several lumber yards that used to exist (Hull Brothers, DeCheco's in Canoga Park, for example). The other line still exists. After Chatsworth, tunnels were built into Simi Valley, and the line continues to Oxnard where the tracks once again meet the coast, having now bypassed Malibu. I know this history. But I haven't seen it posted anywhere in any newspaper, blog, or television news program.

Thank you.

I find it difficult to believe that the Metrolink engineer is at fault. If the dispatcher had been doing his job, he would have known that the freight train was coming the other way. If he had known this, not only would he have set the signal to red against the Metrolink train, but he would also have set the track switch at the north end of the passing siding at Chatsworth so that the freight train could head into the adjacent track. The Metrolink train would have been unable to go through the switch that was set against him (it would have derailed had it tried to do so).

My condolences to the victims and their families of this preventable accident.

As someone who uses the rail commuter service in Northern California, I find the fact that this kind of accident (head on train collision) can still happen on the rails in this day and age in this State to be outrageous, scandalous, a State and National embarrassment and is absolutely indicative of the third or fourth rate status this entire country gives its commuter rail lines. It's an embarrassment, an absolute embarrassment, the people responsible for safety, the management and politicians running the show who have allowed this to even be possible ought to be sent packing. If anything comes out of this I hope at least some modest improvements are made so that something this awful, mind-bogglingly pathetic and incompetent doesn't happen again.

Is shocking to learn that the operation of the trains were outsourced is that company safety record in good standing are the operators free to enter a union? are the hiring procedures safe? is safety sacrificed for profits? this is a terrible example of what can happen.

Put two crew members back in the cab. To "save" money (and end up spending more through accidents), commuter and some Amtrak runs have only one person in the cab. Two are obviously better and needed for the busy atmosphere. Running a train or plane is not as simple as jumping in your SUV and driving off.

I have been riding Metrolink since the first day it started. I'll continue to ride the train. I buy a monthly pass which is good for the Metrolink and Amtrak. There is no morning Amtrak, but I have an option in the afternoon. On Friday I was on the Amtrak, had I missed it I would have been on the Metrolink. When waiting for the train in Van Nuys, I watch the switchmen physically switch tracks to unload train cars. It has been said that the engineer might have not seen a warning light. A light is the only indication the track is safe? This is a scary thought. I believe there is normally only way on a single track and one way off. Are there backup systems, such as mechanical interlocks to prevent another train from entering an occupied track?
Unfortunately it takes an incident like this to resolve safety issues which could have had substantial cost. But these cost could have been payed from the lawsuit money.

I am not a signal expert but I have worked in the operating departments of railways for many years. The problem with most of American railroading other than in the Northeast corridor is that freight and commuter trains are not equipped with what is referred to as Cab Control signals. Cab Control signals are displayed in the locomotive cab themselves, rather than on the right of way, and when an engineer does not respond tothe signals accordingly the train will be stopped automatically. This greatly helps to avoid collisions.

That said, for the above post that maintained that automobiles were safer I believe any examination of injuries and fatalities will prove rail to be much safer per passenger mile. The reality is that the federal government and the nation as a whole must invest funds in rail transit for a great number of national reasons. Safety, eneergy consumption, economy and the environment are just a few of the many reasons that the nation must invest in commuter rail transit.

An accident like this is a terrible reminder of the fact that are tax dollars do not go to the transportation systems that we need in this country.

some data from google - 2006(2007 data isn't available for trains) train vs. traffic fatalities: 6 vs. 30,251(traffic fatalities in passenger vehicles)

big accidents like these make big headlines. i've counted 4 metrolink train-train crashes since 2002, where people die inside a train. a train crash, even where few no-one dies and a handful of folks are injured even makes the front page. the thousands of morning rush hour road/freeway accidents every year get nothing more than a mention of areas to avoid from traffic reporters.

that said, this sucks in a big way.

The headlines are sad. From levees to infrastructures like rails, failed bridges, and roads: these could use the billions our gov't spend elsewhere in other countries and for bail outs. We are placed at the bottom on the 'needs' list for too long. I do not blame the engineer...but the systems we've voted into place..

Why doesn't the federal government invest the money it SHOULD into our passenger rail system and stop prioritizing it after freight trains?! Give us separate tracks already! This is ridiculous!

How sad. The author mentions how Metrolink knew that the crossings were inadequate in the San Fernando Valley back in 1992 and still allowed the project t continue. THey are still inadequate as I write this.

Lighting is dim. Gates are flimsy and only cover half the roadway, signs are sparse. THe train often arrives seconds after the gate descends, when cars are still trying to get out of the way

If you were to travel to Germany, you would be amazed at how thy make a level crossing so much safer for only a small amount of money.

IT HAS BEEN SPECULATE D THAT A RAILROAD ENGINEER MAY HAVE MISSED A DIM SIGNAL AND PROCEEDED ONTO THE TRACK INSTEAD OF WAITING. THe lazy FRA has not updated signals in years. If you can see a policeman's lights in bright sunlight, why can'r rail lights both for crossings and for engineers be made equally attention geting?

"In a state where not wearing your seat belt in the car is a ticket-able offense it is appalling that so many had to die and get injured when seat belts could have helped so many people on that train. "

Look at the wreckage again. The first passenger car envelopes the Metrolink engine. Being belted in just means your body would be upright until you and the locomotive tried to occupy the same space. Seat belts are a great idea where they work, but are not very helpful in this case.

There are many improvements that could be made to make train accidents more survivable; the problem is that rail transit is already so expensive there's nothing left for even small measures. Maybe its time for some first steps.

Considering that the engineer is at fault and he's dead, I do not know who to blame. The signals told him to stop and he did not stop. Will there be a lawsuit? Even if there was I doubt it will get far. I take Metrolink every day, I anticipate no problems, it has been that way for 6 years. Compared to riding a motorcycle, bicycle, or driving a car, it's safer to be on the train. Period.

In the 1950s the Long Island Rail Road (New York) had a number of catastrophic collisions which led to upgraded and near fail-safe block signal systems. It is inconceivable that with more than a century of railroading lessons and technologies developed that likely points of disaster, such as the single track of this accident, are left vulnerable to simple human error. All the more so given the high-volume of passenger and freight traffic involved. This was one was waiting to happen...how many others are there in the Metrolink?

Question: Why was a freight train carrying bulk cargo on this line in rush hour? In the Bay area CalTrain allows this only after hours. I am truly frightened by the lack of critical thinking on the part of Metro Link and UP.

Observation: Had the accident happened in the tunnel they would have lost most of the passengers. Thankfully it occurred 100 yards to the east.

"Building a new (separate commuter) tunnel would be costly." Indeed. The value MTA places on safety and its resultant protection of human life speaks volumes about the organization.

Someone asked in a previous blog about the relationship between MTA and Metrolink. They are like incestual cousins, except that MTA is the regional transportion planner/builder and Metrolink receives much of its funding from MTA. So I believe rightly that MTA is responsible for this fiasco.

If you are wondering how Metrolink pays homage to its cousin in terms of fiscal responsibility, take a look at this link about their recent, costly and unwise decision to spend operating funds to silence blogger critics: http://www.laweekly.com/2008-05-22/news/metrolink-tries-to-censor-bloggers/

Now, how many million$ will be spent paying off lawsuits resulting from MTA/Metrolink's callous irresponsibility in this accident. Think about how that money could have been spent more wisely on basic, common-sense safety measures that MTA routinely ignores. This whole accident just ties into all the other crummy plans past and present, including today's plans to put the Expo Line at-grade near schools.

I usually ride this train line later in the day from Glendale to Simi and find it really unbelievable that this could happen.
Many times the train slows to a stop (or just slows way down) after the Chatsworth station to wait at the signal where the tracks merge just before where this all happened.
In a state where not wearing your seat belt in the car is a ticket-able offense it is appalling that so many had to die and get injured when seat belts could have helped so many people on that train. It wouldn't have saved them all, but it sure would have saved many from needless suffering.
These passenger trains should be under the same scrutiny as our passenger cars are as far as crash standards are concerned. How many more have to die before these simple everyday car practices are applied to trains?
This sucks I have to take this train route again starting Monday morning. Sorry to those who lost their lives and those who were injured, this never should have happened.

This is but the latest in a long series of fatal accidents involving Metrolink. Metrolink isn't safe, period. I drive and stay alive.

This is a terrible accident, God Bless everyone who was on this train.

To the TSB.
I know it would be costly but wouldn't it be better if passenger trains ran on a 1 track system (monorail) and Frieght ran on the conventional 2 track system?
Passenger train tracks and frieght train tracks one can't work on the other.

I can help with simple electronic safety improvements for the existing lines. I know they share tracks currently so this is needed ASAP. I am currently working in the Telecommunications industry for over 20 years, I have ideal skills in diaster recovery why not take a chance and see what I have to offer? The problem is getting people and management to agree on simple effective systems of alerting, communication and most of all , emergency braking.
I think we have the technology and this could have been avoided. I'm sorry that's how I feel.

What doesn't make sense is why the Metrolink train was not held at Chatsworth Station, less than a minute south of where the accident happened. The eastbound Union Pacific freight train had to have been running on the single-track line through the Santa Susanna Pass for some 15 minutes--well before the Metrolink train arrived at Chatworth--slowly climbing from Simi Valley into the rail tunnels and then slowly coming down the grade into Chatsworth from the eastern tunnel's portal, where a passing track exists just north of Chatsworth Station. It's inconceivable that the Metrolink dispatcher, who controls the line's traffic from Moorpark to Union Station, would not have communicated the information to the commuter train. In addition, the line is under a CTC (Centralized Traffic Control) signaling system, whose lights are monitored by the dispatcher. Tragically, omeone screwed up in a major way.