On September 29, 2016, a NJ Transit commuting train crashed at the Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey. The accident occurred in the morning rush hour, in one of the busiest transportation hubs in the New York metropolitan area. The incident that caused the accident is still unclear but is being investigated. One person died, and 114 others were injured. The train operator, who was in the carriage, was among the wounded.
Video 2016 Hoboken train crash
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NJ Transit is the third busiest commuter train in the United States. Before the 2016 crash, the last fatal incident on the train was a 1996 Secaucus collision.
NJ Transit has been undergoing an audit by the Federal Railroad Administration since June 2016, prior to the crash. The probe was prompted by an increase in security breaches and caused a federal citation from the agency.
Maps 2016 Hoboken train crash
Accident
The Pascack Valley Track # 1614 leaves the Spring Valley station in Spring Valley, New York, at 7:23 am EDT to Hoboken. Entering the Hoboken terminal around 8:45 am, the train passes the bumper block and passes through the train tracks, coming to rest on the wall just before the station waiting area. Cabin cars suffered major structural damage.
One witness reported that the train "never slows down" when entering the station, which is located at the end of the lane.
Trains involved in the crash are reported to have no automatic brake system using a positive train control (PTC), which is used to slow the train in case the engineer does not apply the brakes in time. It is unclear whether PTC will prevent the accident.
Train # 1614 consists of four NJ Transit Comet V passenger cars (cabin # 6036 and 3 coaches) and one NJT GP40PH-2B locomotive (# 4214). Rail # 1614 is a local, making all the stops on the Pascack Valley Line. Comet V Cab Car # 6036 leads the train at the time of the accident, with locomotive # 4214 pushing from behind.
Victim
The accident caused one death and injured at least 114 others. The Jersey City Medical Center treats 66 people with injuries from the accident; 53 of them were released from the hospital in the afternoon after the accident. The Hoboken University Medical Center cares for 23 patients and the Christ Hospital takes care of one patient; this is all but two that were released at night after the accident.
The only death, a woman standing on the platform, was killed by the fallen debris. The victim was identified as a Fabiola lawyer Bittar de Kroon, 34, a married mother of one and a native of Brazil who recently moved to Hoboken. The majority of the injured are passengers on the falling train.
Impact
Early eyewitness reports indicate that part of the roof of the station collapsed, as did the roof section of the railroad, and that water sprayed from the crash site. The major structural damage to the station is reported.
After the accident, rail services to and from Hoboken stations (including PATH services) were suspended, and local buses and ferries, as well as Metro-North Railroad, were NJ Transit train tickets honoring the cross. The PATH service was stopped because of concerns that the roof of the PATH station, where the NJ Transit train is slipping to come to rest, may collapse. PATH services in and out of the station are restored at the end of the day, such as the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service in and out of the station. Delays to the train service in the area continued until the following week.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Agency (NTSB) is investigating the accident. A "team go" NTSB was sent to the scene, and the Federal Railroad Administration also sent investigators. Although injured, railway engineers cooperated with investigations, and both train engineers and conductors were interviewed by investigators. Engineers have no memory of the accident itself. According to federal investigators, engineers "feel well rested and unaware of any mechanical problems before the crash."
Among other things, the NTSB investigation will try to determine whether a positive train control can prevent accidents.
On the day after the accident, investigators took one of two railroad recorders (black boxes) from junk, but that was unusable. The second black box was successfully restored in the first week of October 2016.
On October 6, 2016, NTSB released its findings based on event recorders and video recorders. According to his report, 38 seconds before the accident, the train technician accelerated from 8 mph and traveled at a speed of 21 mph, more than twice the 10 mph speed limit. The engineer tried the emergency braking procedure less than a second before the accident.
On October 6, 2016, the train was moved from the station area for further investigation.
In November 2016, lawyer Jack Arsenault said his client, train engineer Thomas Gallagher, suffered from undiagnosed undiagnosed sleep apnea until after the accident. NJ Transit has a sleep apnea screening program but, nevertheless, a physical examination in July 2016 has freed Gallagher for duty. Gallagher, aged 48 and with 18 years experience as a train engineer, said he did not remember the accident and lay on the floor of the cabin when he woke up after being affected. An official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press under conditions of anonymity that the investigation was considering sleep apnea as a possible cause of the accident.
Hoboken Terminal has original steel and concrete bumpers since it opened in 1907. It is believed the new bumper with hydraulic shock absorbers and friction shoes like a sled will reduce its impact.
Aftermath
After the train crash, the New Jersey Transit passed a new rule requiring engineers to be accompanied by at least one other crew member as they pulled the train to Hoboken Station. In addition, NJ Transit also mandates a speed limit reduction approaching to the train station from 10 miles per hour to 5 miles per hour. The Hoboken terminal remains closed until October 10, when platforms reopen with a modified service schedule. Full service not restored until 17 October; Tracks 5 and 6, where trains fall, remain closed while repairs are made.
A similar crash
A similar accident occurred at the same station in December 1985, wounding 54 people. The 1985 crash was said to be caused by a lubricant that had been applied to the rails to test the train wheel. In May 2011, a PATH train crashed in the basement of Hoboken Terminal, causing minor injuries. Researchers say they will see the possibility that accidents 2011 and 2016 may have the same causes and circumstances. Separation of Spuyten Duyvil in December 2013 is caused by sleep apnea, which is a factor suspected in the Hoboken 2016 accident.
See also
- List of American train accidents
- List of train accidents (2010-present)
Another accident in which engineers have trouble sleeping:
- 2008 Massachusetts train collision, commuter train accidents are also blamed (posthumously) on sleep disorders undiagnosed by the engineer
- The Bourne End rail crash, a British accident in which a sleep-deprived engineer may have lost interest in the curve.
- Redondo Junction train crash, the deadliest train wreck in Los Angeles history; engineer said he "fainted" before
References
External links
- Crash of NJ Transit commuter train, Hoboken, NJ - NTSB
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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