
At least 6 passengers killed in Amtrak crash near Olympia - DoreenMichele
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/dec/18/amtrak-train-derails-south-of-seattle/#/0
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niftich
Accident site: just west of the Mounts Rd, Old Nisqually exit on southbound
I-5 [1] and streetview [2].

Some additional facts, without speculating about cause: the derailment
occurred in a left-hand curve -- running timetable southbound, map westbound
-- with the latter portion of the curve situated on a bridge above the
southbound lanes of I-5. The curve is at the end of a nearly 9-mile stretch of
(freshly upgraded) track with long straightaways and gentle curves. The
upgraded section of track ends just around 150 yards from this curve.

In the aerial footage of the scene, you can see the lead car and the carriages
following it flew off, tangent to the curve. The middle of the train bunched
up on the bridge, and the rear half of the train fell inward into the curve.

[1]
[https://www.google.com/maps/place/47%C2%B004'55.2%22N+122%C2...](https://www.google.com/maps/place/47%C2%B004'55.2%22N+122%C2%B040'32.7%22W/@47.082,-122.6779387,786m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d47.082!4d-122.67575)
[2]
[https://www.google.com/maps/@47.082065,-122.6750448,3a,60y,2...](https://www.google.com/maps/@47.082065,-122.6750448,3a,60y,285.05h,89.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3NdbsERlezWk-
yDx7gsBgQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)

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melling
"The Amtrak train making the first-ever run along a faster new route... when
the train moving at more than 80 mph derailed..."

In other news, China will have over 18,000 miles of high-speed rail in 2 more
years. [http://www.atimes.com/article/china-eyes-30000-km-high-
speed...](http://www.atimes.com/article/china-eyes-30000-km-high-speed-
railway-network-2020/)

And speeds are approaching 220mph.
[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-09/21/content_322855...](http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-09/21/content_32285574.htm)

~~~
thrill
Interesting - based on this article from Cato, the maximum speed of the train
should have only been 79 mph, and not "over 80 mph".
[https://www.cato.org/blog/horrible-way-be-
right](https://www.cato.org/blog/horrible-way-be-right) . The article goes on
to say that a local mayor had warned the project was unneeded and unsafe.

~~~
williamstein
Chilling. The local mayor's warning just over a week ago: "Come back when
there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety
enhancements, or you can go back now and advocate for the money to do it,
because this project was never needed and endangers our citizens," Anderson
said.

------
brightsize
More details:

[https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/train-derails-
from...](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/train-derails-from-bridge-
onto-interstate-5-near-olympia/)

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smn1234
can't imagine why it's so difficult to learn from our European friends on how
to do transit well

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breakpointalpha
As a country, we can land a rocket back on the launch pad, but we can't run a
train faster than 80mph. Sad.

