[Scan-DC] Does metrorail have anti-collision equipment?

[cohenner at gmail.com]

As a side discussion, although related, MARC and VRE both have a system that transmits the next signal into the cab well before the engineer is able to visually see the signal. This allows the engineer to prepare to make the appropriate speed adjustments well before an emergency exists.

They also have a dead mans switch on the engineer seat. Should something happen to the engineer (say, he falls off his seat due to a medical emergency) he has something like 15 seconds to depress a plunger to acknowledge that he still has control over his train. Otherwise the train automatically stops.

In addition, if the train exceeds the speed limit or ignores a red signal, the train automatically incurs a penalty stop, and the engineer and conductor are penalized. 
------Original Message------
From: Thomas P. Clouse
Sender: thomas.p.clouse at gmail.com
To: Cathy Drzyzgula
Cc: Dovid Home e-mail
Cc: W4NNG
Cc: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
Cc: Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Does metrorail have anti-collision equipment?
Sent: Jun 22, 2009 22:39

From Washingtonpost.com, on WMATA's Automatic Train Control:

The system relies on electronic relays -- about the size of a
hardcover book -- aboard trains and buried beside the tracks along
each line. When a train gets too close to another train, the system is
designed to automatically stop the approaching train. It should work
regardless of whether trains are being operated manually or by
computer.

Metro has had trouble with its signal system in recent years, and
replaced all 20,000 trackside relays in 2000 after discovering that a
small portion were failing.

But even if the signal system failed to stop the train, the operator
should have intervened and applied emergency brakes, safety experts
familiar with Metro's operations say. The position of the second train
after the crash -- the fact that its first car came to rest atop the
other train -- indicates that the second train was traveling at high
speed. In the section of track where the accident occurred, the
maximum speed is supposed to be 58 mph. Metro officials would not say
how fast the trains were going because of the ongoing NTSB
investigation.

On Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 10:07 PM, Cathy Drzyzgula<cathy at drzyzgula.org> wrote:
> I find it interesting that Metro has announced all trains will be running in
> manual mode tomorrow.  It almost sounds like they suspect a problem with the
> automatic system.  They were single tracking due to an incident earlier in
> the day.  Latest report is one train was stopped waiting for permission to
> clear the station and the other ran into it from behind.  Of course the
> front and back of the trains are pretty much the same, so the main
> difference between this and a head-on collisions would be the somewhat lower
> impact speed.
>
>
> Cathy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of cohenner at gmail.com
> Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 8:54 PM
> To: W4NNG; scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net; Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Does metrorail have anti-collision equipment?
>
> Yes, it does. However, in certain situations, it may be necessary for the
> operator to run the trains in manual operation. I would be willing to bet
> someone didn't adhere to the signal. Rumor is that they were running single
> tracking in that stretch of track due to a previous problem, which had been
> cleared moments before.
>
> David
>
>
>
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