Train carriage falls on motorway in washington state

[teuchter]

Ironically the need to replace / upgrade infrastructure, which is years beyond the point when it was urgently needed in many cases, is one of the few things Trump is right to demand.

Most of the rail infrastructure in the US is privately owned though. This train was travelling on privately owned track as far as I understand.

 

[CRI]

Ironically the need to replace / upgrade infrastructure, which is years beyond the point when it was urgently needed in many cases, is one of the few things Trump is right to demand.

And interestingly, one of the things that President Obama worked hard to put in place, but was blocked at every turn by the GOP majority House of Representatives for the last 6 years of his term.

If you think the current GOP led House will agree an extra penny on infrastructure, or that the Trump administration will lift a finger to encourage them, I have a bridge to sell you.

 

[cupid_stunt]

72 people were taken to hospitals, and at least 3 death.

A state transport spokesperson was quoted in the Seattle Times newspaper as saying the curve where the train derailed had a 30mph (48km/h) speed limit.

Barbara LaBoe said the limit on most of the track was 79mph (128km/h) but drivers were supposed to slow dramatically at the spot where the train derailed.

She said warning signs were in place two miles before the lowered limit. The Associated Press reported that a website mapping train speeds suggested the train may have been travelling at 81mph before the derailment.

Deaths confirmed in US train derailment

 

[Dogsauce]

Horrible stuff, but fortunate so few have been killed, looking at the wreckage. Modern coaches are pretty well built.

Train geeks might have spotted that there is interlaced track on the bridge, which is pretty unusual.

 

[Mumbles274]

Ironically the need to replace / upgrade infrastructure, which is years beyond the point when it was urgently needed in many cases, is one of the few things Trump is right to demand.

But apparently his bill is actually cuts to rail?

 

[teuchter]

Horrible stuff, but fortunate so few have been killed, looking at the wreckage. Modern coaches are pretty well built.

Train geeks might have spotted that there is interlaced track on the bridge, which is pretty unusual.

Interlaced track? No.

 

[StoneRoad]

Horrendous accident.
Thoughts with the families of the victims.
.
Interesting the amount of coverage that the rare rail and air accidents receive, compared to the far higher death rate on the roads ...
I will be awaiting the result of the official accident investigation, as most of the passenger cars seem to have withstood the crash - apart from the one upside down on the roadway (although it hasn't collapased or been crushed structurally) that rotation is likely to have been the cause of much injury to the passengers.
.
As for Trump --- the lack of infrastructure investment and maintenance is a perennial problem at home (strangely, such things are not good vanity projects) and since the good ol'USA knocked down a lot of the middle east (not all of it, I know !) maybe they should pay to repair it.

 

[teuchter]

It appears that it's been confirmed that the train was going much too fast into the curve. Which means this is essentially the same cause as the Croydon tram crash, and the Spanish accident a couple of years ago.

 

[StoneRoad]

And a couple of derailments at Morpeth, Northumberland ...

If it was a "new route" then their route learning system may have been incomplete.