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Report: Metro crash failure may be widespread
WTOP.com ^ | July 21, 2009 - 7:52pm | n/a

Posted on 07/22/2009 1:44:58 AM PDT by Cindy

SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON - A terrifying report has surfaced regarding last month's deadly crash on Metro's Red Line.

It says the train control system -- designed to prevent Metro crashes -- is malfunctioning across the railroad. This means the technological failure at the heart of last month's crash may be widespread."

(Excerpt) Read more at wtop.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: metro; railroad; redline; trains

1 posted on 07/22/2009 1:44:59 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: kristinn; nwctwx

ping

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2298082/posts


2 posted on 07/22/2009 1:46:04 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: kristinn

You may find this of interest...


3 posted on 07/22/2009 2:19:59 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner (Sarah Palin has crossed the Rubicon!)
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To: Cindy

Does this mean that Metro train engineers will have to look out the front window of the train while they’re driving?


4 posted on 07/22/2009 2:37:17 AM PDT by jiggyboy (Ten per cent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: jiggyboy

Yeah but as fast as those trains go and given the curves in the tunnels etc, there could be accidents waiting to happen, even if they looked out the windows and cleaned them at every stop.


5 posted on 07/22/2009 3:30:10 AM PDT by Adder (Proudly ignoring Zero since 1-20-09!)
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To: Adder
Yeah but as fast as those trains go and given the curves in the tunnels etc,

I used to commute on the Metro. It felt like gentle curves and elevation changes, until one trip that I spent looking through the front window on the underground part of the Orange Line. It's a rollercoaster.

6 posted on 07/22/2009 3:41:03 AM PDT by Riley (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column.)
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To: Cindy
It'd be really really nice to know:

The name of the firm that designed the safety system.

The name of the firm which tested the initial design before installing it.

The name of the firm which installed the safety system.

The name of of the firm which tested the installed design.

The name of the firm which does the ongoing maintenance.

And any logs from these firms concerning the system.

My first suspicion was "offshore resources."

My second suspicion (now) is "brother-in-law of a high official."

No cheers, unfortunately.

7 posted on 07/22/2009 4:05:53 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Cindy

“Catoe says the newspaper report that at least a half-dozen track circuits have failed to detect the presence of trains in recent weeks is wrong. Catoe called the report a “gross misrepresentation of the facts” and said the reporters did not understand the information and misreported it.”

I’d have to give Catoe the benefit of a doubt. Reporters are a bunch of dumb clucks usually with agendas of their own and an ability to read and understand the English language that veers from a third rate reading ability to something just above chimpdom.

I’ll continue to ride the Metro.

There’s no where to park in DC.


8 posted on 07/22/2009 4:29:39 AM PDT by OpusatFR (Those embryos are little humans in progress. Using them for profit is slavery.)
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To: Riley
until one trip that I spent looking through the front window on the underground part of the Orange Line.

I used to ride the Orange Line often. I never cared for the stops beneath the Potomac River while they would wait for the Blue Line to merge onto the same track.

9 posted on 07/22/2009 4:31:41 AM PDT by Dixie Yooper (Ephesians 6:11)
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To: Riley

I had my first experience on the metro just recently on a weekend visit.
I don’t know what its like on a work day and I don’t want to sound like a commercial for them but I found the staff and the drivers to be very helpful and friendly. I was especially impressed with one yellow line guy who told us of better line switching options. He certainly could have allowed us to bumble on our way.

The entire system is hurting from that crash on the red line. We had no problems going in but upon returning we must have experienced the “going dark” the article mentions because we had numerous stop and waits that extended our trip by a good 20 mins.


10 posted on 07/22/2009 4:32:17 AM PDT by Adder (Proudly ignoring Zero since 1-20-09!)
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To: Cindy

Someone will end up with a Billion dollar contract to fix it. They will tune it up a bit take their money and leave.

The problems will still be there.


11 posted on 07/22/2009 4:37:19 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: Cindy
But let the little sub-contractor on a construction job have a piece of rebar that's not fitted with protection and the job is shut down, the sub and everyone else fined.
12 posted on 07/22/2009 6:11:35 AM PDT by jwparkerjr (Palin Must GO! to the white house)
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To: OpusatFR

Yes, I had to excerpt the article, and I quoted the headline, so here’s your quote from the article in this post:

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1722667

Metro G.M.:’This system is safe’
July 22, 2009 - 10:32am

SNIPPET: “Catoe says the newspaper report that at least a half-dozen track circuits have failed to detect the presence of trains in recent weeks is wrong. Catoe called the report a “gross misrepresentation of the facts” and said the reporters did not understand the information and misreported it.”

SNIPPET: “Any deviation in testing is followed up immediately, Catoe says. The circuits have been within safety parameters, but tweaks have been made.

“We’ve found circuits that in our judgment are not calibrated correctly. We either took those circuits out or made adjustments to those circuits,” he said.”


13 posted on 07/22/2009 7:50:21 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: All

Please note I was referring to the headline and contents and quoted same in the original thread from the article dated July 21, 2009 - 7:52pm. It has now been updated.

UPDATE:

“Metro G.M.:’This system is safe’”
July 22, 2009 - 10:32am


14 posted on 07/22/2009 7:53:02 AM PDT by Cindy
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