

The Failed Dream of the Easy Commute - throwaway344
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/failed-dream-easy-commute

======
jpatokal
_" only two of the nation’s eighteen state or local railways, Metro-North and
the Long Island Rail Road, operate on a third-rail system powered by overhead
lines"_

For anybody else who was confused by this: the author is (I think) trying to
say that Metro-North has some lines equipped with _both_ third rail and
overhead wires. Although the accident occurred because of a crash at a level
crossing, and had nothing to do with electrification per se.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-
North_Railroad#Electric_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-
North_Railroad#Electric_Multiple_Units)

~~~
Animats
It did relate to electrification. Metro-North uses a third rail system where
the pickup runs on the underside of the third rail, rather than the top. That
style of third rail isn't as solidly mounted as ones where the pickup runs on
top. In this accident, the third rail broke loose and penetrated the first car
of the train, with the power still on.

There's a solution available to prevent railroad crossing accidents, but it
requires blocking the highway for much longer.[1] This is a fully interlocked
grade crossing. There are gates on both sides of the tracks, vehicle detectors
for cars on the tracks, and interlocking with the railroad signals. As a train
approaches, first the bells and lights come on. Then the entrance side gates
go down. The control system checks that there are no vehicles on the crossing;
there are traffic detectors and radars for this. Only then do the exit side
gates go down. When all gates are fully down, and the crossing is clear of
vehicles, the train gets a clear signal. If there's an obstruction or a
damaged gate, the train will slow and stop if necessary.

This requires that the gates go down about a minute before the train arrives,
because the stopping distance for trains is so large. Drivers hate that.
Railroads aren't too happy with it either, because they're going to have to
stop trains when someone is still on the crossing a minute before the train
gets there. Current FRA rules are that such a setup will be required for grade
crossings with trains operating above 110 MPH. Only the Northeast Corridor has
such speeds.

There's been one accident at the US at a fully interlocked gate. A car went
through a lowered gate into the path of an Acela high speed train.[2] Barrier
gates capable of stopping a truck are being considered.

[1] [http://www.ansaldo-sts.com/sites/ansaldosts.message-
asp.com/...](http://www.ansaldo-sts.com/sites/ansaldosts.message-
asp.com/files/manuali-ansaldo/CatalogCutSheets/RSE-5A3_Quad-Gate%20Sys.pdf)

[2]
[[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/30/nyregion/30acela.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/30/nyregion/30acela.html)]

~~~
smcnally
This would be a lot of engineering for an issue that shouldn't need it. In the
case described in the parent article, the gates, lights, and signal bells
worked as designed. The driver had warning and ample time to react -- even
enough time to react poorly and recover. The driver did not react or recover.
An elegant engineering solution is not appropriate in this scenario.

~~~
ljf
Surely an elegant engineering solution would have saved lives in this
instance? I think you mean one is not required for all the times that people
don't die. Then it's just redundant.

~~~
smcnally
What engineering solution would have prevented this driver's death? She knew a
train was coming from the bells, flashing lights, and closing gates. She had
at least 30 seconds to react.

If you mean a more elegant solution -- a different 3rd rail design, e.g. --
would have saved the lives of the people aboard the train, that's possible. In
the event of a mutli-ton train at 60MPH hitting a multi-ton truck sitting on
the tracks, we should not presume that's the case.

The better scenario is to heed the bells, flashing lights, and protective
gates and get off the tracks. It's a difficult engineering task to ensure
people heed clear warnings.

~~~
ljf
A solution like the one mentioned higher up - which physically blocks entrance
(though allows exit) a longer time ahead, and also automatically warns train
drivers that there is something blocking the line and prompting them to slow
down a reasonable distance ahead.

------
cthulhuology
Metro-North's signaling equipment is a nightmare. There was a scheduled
upgrade that was supposed to have been in play by January 1st of this year,
and the project is still not yet done. Proper monitoring of crossing combined
with automatic breaking could have prevented this accident. But Metro-North
has neither.

------
normloman
Our transportation infrastructure is being pushed to its limits. If you are a
a business owner, please let employees telecommute. I know it's difficult to
transition from working in an office to having a fully or partially remote
workforce. But the cost savings, benefits to the environment, and impact on
employee's morale are worth it. Plus, less chance of dying in a traffic
accident.

