Story notes 3 Killed, and many injured.
Trains don’t hit vehicles that aren’t blocking or fouling the track.
I don’t have an Atlanta Division ETT available, but I seem to remember speed through Biloxi being 25 MPH or less - in part because of all the road crossings but also because of the drawbridge across Biloxi Bay.
boarded speed is 45 (per FRA DOT record), but agree with you on the stupid number of crossings.
25 MPH over Biloxi Bay Drawbrige
Roger that (practical side noted/ trainhandling)…we are 6 miles away at 726.81 with a NB bus and an EB train… 340-185W
Flashers/Bells/cantilever flashers & no gates with “stuck on track” injuries and fatals in the past…It isn’t like CSX just raised the tracks…Other crossings have similar issues, must be like running a gauntlet.
[banghead][banghead][banghead] Appears that the city ignored the AASHTO/AREMA joint spec (they are responsible for the approach grades, probably up to the edge of ballast (rail +2 feet) like most states)…Wonder what the MsDOT/MsPSC/MsRRC record has to say at this location.
How much damage? Any fatalities on the bus? Did the train derail?
According to the accounts in the other thread on this matter, at least three of the passengers died.
Chartered casino bus, mostly senior citizens, four dead.
Google street view shows gates. Of little use if you’re high centered…
Responding to MC’s post, from:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-mississippi-train-crash-20170307-story.html
“Records show there have been 16 accidents at the crossing since 1976, including in 1983 and 2003, each of which involved one fatality. A delivery truck was also struck at the same crossing in January, WLOX-TV reports. No one was injured in that crash.”
From: http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/traffic/article136966968.html (emphasis added):
"A problem for years’
It’s the second time in two months a train has hit a vehicle at the Main Street crossing. A CSX freight train hit a Pepsi-Cola delivery truck. The tractor-trailer got hung up on the steep grade. The driver of the truck, ow
Some one who knows the history and agreements for the Sunset east needs to enter into this discussion.
This poster vaguely recalls a statement that for the service to be restored that the city of Biloxi was to close some grade crossings. Any truth ?
With all the accidents at this crossing Amtrak needs to refuse to begin Sunset east service until this problem crossing is mitigated. We don’t want an Amtrak train hitting a tour bus and in the confusion media thinking many train passengers hurt.
What some one who is living there needs to tell us is why the city has not taken care of the problem crossing. 2 previous deaths and many accidents what is going on ? Politics ?
After Katrina was there a proposal to move the CSX route out of Biloxi to the north ?
Streak: Since the MsDOT has inherited the railroad regulatory side of this after the re-purposing of MsPSC, MsDOT has to call the shots. (again - I’d love to see any city or railroad complaints lodged with those folks…something tells me the city went mute once they found out what it would cost them and that MsDOT would hold them financially responsible…then there is the high possibility that MsDOT is all bus/rubber tired bubbas and they do not understand the steel-wheeled side of the equation and have nobody on staff with even a few months of railroad pedigree)
Amthrax is a tennant of CSX and is struggling to keep the route alive. Grandstanding can only bring you trouble. Be wise about where you pick a fight and analyze the consequences carefully.
Wonder how far apart FRA and NTSB will be at the release of investigation findings. FRA may also growl at Biloxi and MsDOT because the accident report did not get posted with the 16 others. (IMHO and experience, the incidents at crossings often go unrepo
Does anybody have the actual address of this crossing? I would like to see what it looks like upon approach, and particularly what the signs look like.
Google Maps views of the crossing at Main Street and Esters show signs indicating low ground clearance, about 20-30 feet from the tracks on both sides. The hump does not appear to be too great, but it looks like enough to hang up a long bus with very little ground clearance. That’s hard to judge from the Google view. The track is straight, and visibility appears to be pretty much unrestricted for a pretty long distance. There are flashing lights and gates.
Obviously I have no idea of the current condition of the low ground clearance signs, or the weather & lighting conditions, or other factors.
Tom
It’s in the news stories… Several folks already have found it and checked the Google street view.
By way of following up and updateing some information on the incident in Biloxi, Ms. ON 3/08,
Here is a linked site with comments and additional photos@ http://heavy.com/news/2017/03/biloxi-bus-crash-train-accident-photos-videos-watch-derailed-deaths-toll-injuries-update-louisiana/
FTA:"…The Sun Herald reported that four people declined medical treatment, three died at the scene and a fourth died later. Among those injured, 10 are reportedly listed in critical condition while another 10 are in serious condition…
The bus was reportedly traveling from Austin, Texas through Biloxi on Main Street when it attempted to cross over the train tracks, but got stuck and was hit by the train.
The senior citizens were on the bus from Bastrop Senior Center, located in Bastrop, Texas. The center confirmed it was their bus at a press conference later in the day…"
Per information posted by Paul D. North on this Thread…This particular crossing in Biloxi does have a history of recent incidents; regarding this railroad/highway crossing.
Since the Casinos have started in Biloxi , motor traffic has picked up, exponentially; tourists began flocking to the Gulf Coast. The railroad has also been an intrigal part of the City, and Coastal traffic for a number of years. It is primarily a freight route, and was once part of the Sunset Limited route East from the New Orleans area ,That route is poised for a ‘comeback’, and as traffic has grown in the years since Hurricane Katrina devestated that area, and both motor and rail traffic volumes recover, and that ’ interaction’become more problem
Without knowing the actual itinerary of the bus trip, I can only speculate, but - There are casinos at both ends of Main Street. I wonder if they were just arriving in town, or were travelling between casinos…
A friend on FB pointed out that it’s possible a slightly shorter bus might clear the crossing (albeit barely). There is the possibility that this was the first time this driver had a longer bus and didn’t anticipate the problem.
The view in Street View shows many scrape marks on the pavement adjacent to the tracks. One might conclude that in addition to the actual collisions on the crossing, there have been many “close calls” where a vehicle got stuck but cleared before any trains arrived.
It seems like a dangerous situation that should not be allowed to exist. I suppose some drivers don’t notice the sign, but I suspect that far more do not assimilate the full meaning and implication of the message. It seems pretty obvious that something is not working there as evidenced by all the accidents and deep gouges in the pavement as it humps up over the track.
I’ve been to Biloxi for work and remember this stretch of track fairly well. It was the ‘Dam’ for Hurricane Katrina- remember all the debris that was piled up along this stretch? There’s a road about 40 feet to the north of the crossing, so it would’ve been near impossible to build up the grade on that side of the tracks. It has been leveled out more on the other side. I wonder if there were more warning signs of the Low Crossing a block or more away from the tracks. It’s kinda hard to make a good driving decision if the only sign is right in front of the grade crossing…
One of today’s pix shows the crossing gates lying on the ground after the bus knocked it over. On the post is a blue sign with an 800 # for CSX and the crossing information. Wondering why no one on the bus (ie the DRIVER) noticed it after the bus had been stuck for more than a few minutes? Reports were that it was there as long as 5 minutes before being struck. The trackage is about as tangent as you can get through Biloxi, and given the fact that the bus was shoved about 300 ft, the train was going fairly slowly before impact.