Wow…those who survived were darned lucky…good thing the trains were going relatively show in the station area.
Above video is 1 min. 54 secs. long (after a 15 sec. commercial), with views from 3 different cameras. But the 1st 30 seconds of the 1st camera clip is all you need to see (except maybe for some sparks from a crossed (?) rail near the end of the whole video).
This video below is the same wreck from another angle - looking down the street the bus was on - 1:06 long. The brief article below it says that 9 people died and over 200 were injured, mostly on the bus (no surprise there):
A graphic and visual argument against lightweight MU coaches and DMU-type trains, and maybe even the cab cars on push-pulls too, I think - at least on lines with many grade crossings used by trucks and buses. The result would have been much different if a 200+ ton Amtrak F40 or P42 or similar locomotive had been leading and hit the bus instead !
- Paul North.
Fascinating that this thread would be started today for a incident that occurred in September 2011, in light of the present day Argentine commuter rail incident that has killed 49 or more. I was impressed with the structural integrity of both trains lead cars and the fact there was no telescoping of the cars with the virtual instant stop. Both trains must of been of similar tonnage and speed at time of impact for the virtual dead stop - with neither trains momentum and kinetic energy moving the other from the point of impact.
The accounts I have read of today’s incident would, on the surface, indicate a braking system failure coupled with telescoping of cars upon impact.
I had posted the video and story of the Buenos Aires Commuter Train Crash of this date 22 Feb 2012, and was surprised to find this video posted today, and the crash was from Sept 2011, but the video was just released !
[ As BaltACD suggested the equipment appears to be similar in both cases ( Blue/White or Silver painted cars). I know nothing of the Commuter Rail lines in Buenos Aires, but they seem to have a run of incredibly bad timing… ]…
The Reuter’s story ( in Forum’s TRANSIT Section) I had linked has some conflicting details about what actually happened in the Crash of this morning, but indicated that the problem was ‘Faulty Brakes’ even though the train equipment had been ‘serviced recently’ ( last couple of days?)
The details will definitely have to be sorted out after the victims and crash have been attended to. Hopefully, the video from the station will give a clearer picture of what took place.
Sorry, I screwed up. I thought I heard on the news today that a bus ran a grade crossing in the Argentina crash, but that must have been news about the earlier crash for some reason.
I find the last scene in the video quite revealing, the shot of the second train coming into the station, slowing down then stopping with a jolt and even bouncing backwards a bit. The thrust of the collision and the power of it all is in that final stop and push back. Otherwise, the whole sequence and angles are amazing and terrifying.