I was just watching TV and saw an Acela train hit a car on a grade crossing near Waterford CT. The track speed there is still only 80 mph. There is a TV station there WTNH-TV. I can not wait to hear the drivers excuse for this one. The accident happened about 8:15 am eastern time.
How fast was the train going? Was it going 80 or lower?
The WSJ news just said this morning that Acela was up and running just fine, thank you.
Now this…!
Connecticut drivers are some of the worst in the world, and traffic law enforcement is almost non-existent (not the fault of the cops – they do the best they can – but when practically every other vehicle is doing something wrong what are they to do?). Not surprised. I hope the crew on the Acela is OK…
Great. Now they’ll have some reason to pull all the Acela’s off the tracks and re-check all their braking mechanisms, etc…
If that train was going close to 80, yikes. Not smart.[xx(][V][banghead]
i bet the acela gets the blame…
Car vs train = car looses…still holds true. [banghead]
The way I understood FNC’s analysis this morning they were implying that the train crew decided to hit the car…but that’s just my analysis.
And probably swerved so they could…[:p]
I hope this link works…
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=3908855
but with my luck with these modern gadgets…
I though the NE corridor was compleatly grade seperated. It’s obvious I was wrong. How many grade crossings are there on that line?
Everyone is against trains except us railfans, let’s start a pro-rail campaign!
Trainboy
Maybe it would help if they put louder horns on the Acela’s ? [:p]
That’s a great idea. I’m all for it. Now, let’s put Mineta in charge of it, dooh, wait. Not good. Cheney? Bush?[banghead][X-)]
Better be a grass roots movement.[;)]
JDV
THE very reason for the existence of " Operation Lifesaver"… I am sure the driver of the car would consider him/herself blameless, after all they were in a hurry and the train was going to be delaying them. Never considering the results of the actions of one individual. At least it was not a larger truck or bus… The true victims are the train crews. They have to live with the results of someone else’s foolish action…This too is the justification for cameras in locomotive cabs…Potentially good material for a “Worlds Best…‘Stupid drivers’ video” program.
Should add cow catchers to the Acela[:D]
Program? shoot, they could probably start a new channel with all the material they would get.[;)]
Chad – there are, as I recall, four grade crossings left on the northeast corridor, all in Connecticut, and all because the local governments refused to provide funding for overpasses AND refused to allow the roads to be closed. These crossings were reviewed during the planning process, and the towns involved were requested to make the changes. At least they have gates and lights, which at least one witness has indicated were operating properly.
An Acela delay you? Have you watched one go by? But you do have to remember that here in Connecticut stop lights have a different meaning from what they have in the rest of the world: green = go; yellow = go faster; red = floor it
That still won’t compensate for the “Moron Factor.”
And I believe the grandmother that died was the driver, so we’ll never know why she did it.
Would this be Darwinism?
[:D]