Passenger Trains > CT: Amtrak train hits maintenance truck, six hurt

Amtrak train hits maintenance truck; 6 are slightly injured
By: The Associated Press
Posted: 01/24/2020 12:38 PM |  NEWINGTON, Conn.

- An Amtrak train collided Friday with a maintenance truck working on the tracks in Connecticut, resulting in minor injuries to six people on the train, officials said.  Two workers were inside the truck when they saw the train approaching as they worked on the tracks in Newington. The workers were able to get out before the train struck the vehicle around 11 a.m.

More than 60 people were on board the train, which was heading north from New Haven to Springfield, Massachusetts.  Passengers were transferred to a later train.  The cause of the crash is being investigated, Amtrak said.

https://www.brandonsun.com/lifestyles/breaking-news/amtrak-train-hits-maintenance-truck-6-are-slightly-injured-567267812.html

Could PTC have avoided this?

This is unreal... You can't fix stupid.....

Is this something like the back hoe accident south of Philly ? 

seaboardc30-7 Wrote:
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> Could PTC have avoided this?

Depends if they had track and time or not

* Train 470 of 01/24/2020.        
* THIS TRAIN EXPERIENCED A SERVICE DISRUPTION.
* Amtrak Hartford Line
* +---------------- Station Code
* | +----------- Schedule Arrival Day
* | | +-------- Schedule Arrival Time
* | | | +----- Schedule Departure Day
* | | | | +-- Schedule Departure Time
* | | | | | +------------- Actual Arrival Time
* | | | | | | +------- Actual Departure Time
* | | | | | | | +- Comments
* V V V V V V V V
NHV * * 1 1026A ET MoTuWeThFr
* STS * * 1 1028A * 1028A Departed: On time.
* WFD * * 1 1039A * 1046A Departed: 7 minutes late.
MDN * * 1 1048A
* BER * * 1 1056A * 1103A Departed: 7 minutes late.
HFD * * 1 1110A
WND * * 1 1117A
WNL * * 1 1124A
SPG 1 1149A * *

This shows lack of communication!

Obviously the hyrail truck and the train weren't supposed to be occupying the same track. If the hyrail truck had track time, then the dispatcher should not have been able to line the train into the occupied track. If not, well, what was it doing there? I'll be interested to see what the investigation turns up.

As for comparables, this strikes me as being more like an incident on the MBTA a few years ago in which a dispatcher mistakenly lined a train into out-of-service track and a maintenance employee was killed.
 

here is a  SHORT version of track and time and how it is used for the "non-rails."

when m.o.w. needs to occupy a MAIN track, they request "track and time" from the dispatcher.  m.o.w. of way forces do NOT use signals for main track authorization.

IF the main track requested by m.o.w. is clear AND the dispatcher won't be running trains on it, the dispatcher will grant "track and time" authority on the main track to to m.o.w.

when a dispatcher grants "track and time" to m.o.w., the controlled signals that provide TRAINS the authority to enter the area of "track and time" are blocked and the dispatcher can NOT line signals into the segment of track where m.o.w. has been granted "track and time" authority.

maybe somebody else can elaborate how ptc works with "track and time" authority on the main track..........

66

goneon66 Wrote:
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> here is a  SHORT version of track and time and
> how it is used for the "non-rails."

If Amtrak is still using NORAC rules, then the technical details are different -- the MoW folks would get block authority using a Form D just as if they were a train in unsignalled territory, rather than being granted "track and time." But the result is the same: the signals that would otherwise be displayed to allow trains to operate on the MoW occupied track are supposed to be blocked out.

copy that.  thanks for the norac explanation of a "form d."

66

.

---

Was the truck actually on the rail or merely fouling?

Posted from Android

Looking at the picture above, the rear hy-rail wheels are still on the rails.

PHall Wrote:
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> Looking at the picture above, the rear hy-rail
> wheels are still on the rails.

Yea, — guys were lucky they were able to get out or else this would’ve been their final Hyrail ride.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/20 20:31 by IC_2024.

goneon66 Wrote:
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> when m.o.w. needs to occupy a MAIN track, they
> request "track and time" from the dispatcher. 
> m.o.w. of way forces do NOT use signals for main
> track authorization.

Amtrak employees can use shunts as protection which would cause the dispatcher to be unable to line a signal.

> maybe somebody else can elaborate how ptc works
> with "track and time" authority on the main
> track..........

Not much different - as it would not be possible to line a signal into track and time, PTC would enforce the train and bring it to a stop before it enters the track and time.

Shunts on moving Hi-rail trucks aren't that reliable. Heck, they are not that great on a stopped one.  There's definitley a whole lot more to this story.

DevalDragon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> goneon66 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > when m.o.w. needs to occupy a MAIN track, they
> > request "track and time" from the dispatcher. 
> > m.o.w. of way forces do NOT use signals for
> main
> > track authorization.
>
> Amtrak employees can use shunts as protection
> which would cause the dispatcher to be unable to
> line a signal.
>
> > maybe somebody else can elaborate how ptc works
> > with "track and time" authority on the main
> > track..........
>
> Not much different - as it would not be possible
> to line a signal into track and time, PTC would
> enforce the train and bring it to a stop before it
> enters the track and time.

SP4360 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Shunts on moving Hi-rail trucks aren't that
> reliable. Heck, they are not that great on a
> stopped one.  There's definitley a whole lot more
> to this story.

I want to know the method of operation here...  CTC, Current of traffic, TWC, ABS, Single Main with a siding, or 2MT.  That alone might explain a little bit of what's going on.

From what I have heard it's all CTC, and used to be 2MT all the way although it sounds like a portion of the line has been downgraded to 1MT with sidings.  But if it is indeed all CTC then the train crew was just following signals, and either the MOW truck was on the wrong main, or the DS failed to block the main after issuing T&T and subsequently lined the train down it.  I guess the train crew could have violated a stop signal, but given what's been said about the incident and where it appears to have happened, I'm strongly doubting that.

Is Safe2Safer still in effect ? 

Don't think that will buff out.