Amtrak Train Derails In Philadelphia

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Amtrak Train Derails In Philadelphia

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday May 12, 2015 @03:10PM from the stay-safe-out-there dept.

An anonymous reader writes: An Amtrak train has derailed in Philadelphia, injuring at least 50 of the roughly 240 people on board. The train was on its way from Washington D.C. to New York City when it derailed around 9:20pm local time. Former congressman Patrick Murphy, who was aboard the train, said, "It wobbled at first and then went off the tracks. There were some pretty banged-up people. One guy next to me was passed out. We kicked out the window in the top of the train car and helped get everyone out."

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Obongo did it by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:14 · Score: -1

Of course the government can't do anything right. Ron Paul 2014.
1. Re: Obongo did it by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:29 · Score: 0
  
  Does it hurt when you attempt to think?
2. Re: Obongo did it by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 16:04 · Score: 0
  
  Bush did 9/11
3. Re:Obongo did it by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 16:06 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  In other news, the passengers were placed on buses to complete their trips. They arrived a day ahead of schedule.
4. Re:Obongo did it by Adriax · 2015-05-12 17:57 · Score: 1
  
  Unfortunately their luggage was placed on air freight and half of it is currently believed to be somewhere in Seattle. The other half was recently spotted in a TSA frequented pawnshop in Miami.
  
  --
  I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
5. Re:Obongo did it by tehcyder · 2015-05-13 00:53 · Score: 1
  
  In other news, the passengers were placed on buses to complete their trips. They arrived a day ahead of schedule.
  Keep it classy.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
6. Re:Obongo did it by whitroth · 2015-05-13 04:53 · Score: 1
  
  Unfortunately, so wrong that I don't know why I bother. See train, which has vastly fewer accidents than cars or busses, cruising by the traffic jams out of Philly and into NYC.
  But then, let's also remember that
  a) after 9/11, for months, the pilots' union was saying that for trips under 300-400 mi, trains made *far* more sense, yet
  b) Congress loves throwing money to airports, and roads, but
  c) has yet to fully fund Amtrak.
  And then there's outside the northeast corridor, which is where Amtrak owns the trackage and maintains it to high-speed passenger specs, the rest of the lines are leased from other railroads, who don't want to maintain them to the higher specs, and who frequently (there was just an article in mainstream media about this in the last week) will stop Amtrak to wait for their money-making freights.
  mark
7. Re: Obongo did it by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-14 12:30 · Score: 0
  
  Why should it be funded? It's a private entity receiving grants. As someone that travels weekly for work, I'm in support of rail in the U.S. But there's no sense in throwing money at something that isn't profitable.
8. Re:Obongo did it by MoarSauce123 · 2015-05-16 05:20 · Score: 1
  
  Giving just three years of Interstate funding to Amtrak would allow them to complete all projects pegged for the next 30 years! And spending even just a wee bit more would allow for cross-country and regional high speed rail which effectively declutters airspace. Instead, Amtrak is asked to generate revenue on infrastructure that for the most part has not changed since the late 60s when Congress stood idle when the big passenger rail companies went belly up, instead billions were wasted on building an entirely unsustainable Eisenhower Interstate System. But yes, it's all Obama's fault.
9. Re: Obongo did it by MoarSauce123 · 2015-05-16 05:21 · Score: 1
  
  We throw money at the highways, they are not profitable. We throw money at Congress, they are the opposite of profitable. We stuff gazillions into the military just to lose one war after another. I rather see a few millions more go to Amtrak, at least trains are cool.
Bummer by koan · 2015-05-12 15:22 · Score: 3

Any word on whether or not America will ever upgrade (and repair) it's rail lines?

--
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
1. Re:Bummer by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:26 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Sure. Right after we fix your grammar.
2. Re:Bummer by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:39 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  America has the most rail of any country. More then the runner ups of both China and India, combined. It may not be the most sophisticated per mile, but good luck upgrading all of it.
3. Re:Bummer by I'm+New+Around+Here · 2015-05-12 15:51 · Score: 1
  
  Oh no, there you go. Pointing out that the US doesn't fit the pattern of all those small European countries, or even large, more populous Asian countries.
  
  --
  If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
4. Re:Bummer by xxxJonBoyxxx · 2015-05-12 16:01 · Score: 2
  
  Wisconsin's upgrading rail. One of the main drivers is demand for fracking sand. Since Amtrak runs on mostly freight rails, you need to improve the case for freight to get better passenger service.
  http://www.jsonline.com/busine...
5. Re:Bummer by Noah+Haders · 2015-05-12 16:17 · Score: 1
  
  further, rail is private infrastructure. BNSF, UP, CSX, KS, and the others can upgrade their stuff when they feel like it.
6. Re:Bummer by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 16:20 · Score: 0
  
  somewhere it was mentioned the rails and ties there are upgraded for high speed
  gotta wait for investigation before speculating
7. Re:Bummer by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 16:24 · Score: 2
  
  The tracks for the Northeast Corridor and Acela trains are predominantly owned by either Amtrak or the regional transit agencies such as MBTA or SEPTA. Almost none of this critical section of track is privately owned.
8. Re:Bummer by cheesybagel · 2015-05-12 17:11 · Score: -1, Troll
  
  This kind of 'American Exceptionalism' just keeps sounding to me like a permanent excuse for being lazy and doing a whole bunch of nothing.
  It is the Repubtard version of Niggaz shouldn't 'act white' and work and study hard.
9. Re:Bummer by bigfinger76 · 2015-05-12 17:16 · Score: 1
  
  Choo choo choo choo choosh...
10. Re:Bummer by steelfood · 2015-05-12 19:13 · Score: 2
  
  See, the airlines base their regional rates around Amtrak rates. So without Amtrak (or one with fewer hooks into local transportation), the airlines can screw over their customers that much more. The airlines aren't the only ones who'd love to see Amtrak disappear either. Big oil and their lackeys the car manufacturers all would love to see rail transportation disappear completely. They can't touch freight because that's private, but Amtrak is Federal which means it's easier to neuter.
  I haven't seen any indication Obama's done anything to reverse the trend of ripping up rails and replacing them with roads. I could be wrong. Now, interesting thing is that Amtrak doesn't own most of the rights of ways that it operates its trains on. The NE corridor (Washington-Boston) is one of the few where they do own the rail. And it's one of the few profitable lines. This derailment may be a symptom of insufficient funding to maintain their infrastructure (quick check of Wikipedia says this is the case). In which case, I'd say no, politics is holding Amtrak by the neck and we're not going to see much improvement if any at all to the nation's rail infrastructure.
  Hell, the bike movement is stronger than the streetcar/light rail movement, even in places where you can realistically ride bikes only around five to six months out of the year, so that tells you just where public sentiment is.
  
  --
  "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
11. Re:Bummer by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 20:39 · Score: 1
  
  America has the most rail of any country. More then the runner ups of both China and India, combined. It may not be the most sophisticated per mile, but good luck upgrading all of it.
  If you count all the EU member states in Wikipedia Article "List of countries by rail transport network size", you get over over 240,643 (I stopped adding them up when it was down to 3 digit, and I might've missed some countries) vs 224,792 in US.
  Hard to say if it's better or worse than the US network, but probably in general in better condition due to not being privately owned (mostly).
12. Re:Bummer by Grishnakh · 2015-05-12 23:09 · Score: 1
  
  Light rail and Amtrak are two totally different things. Don't conflate them.
  Light rail is extremely expensive per mile and of dubious usefulness since it usually doesn't happen to be going the way you need to go. It's an alternative to car-commuting or buses, but doesn't have the flexibility of bus routes and certainly not the convenience of cars. But it doesn't take you far, only within your city.
  Amtrak is for inter-city and regional travel. (You can also take it cross-country, but that takes days and isn't really economical compared to planes.) It's an alternative to spending 8 hours in your car, or taking a short-hop plane (complete with hours waiting at the terminal plus being molested by TSA). For shorter trips (like between DC and NYC), it's a great way to travel.
  Just because someone has little interest in light rail doesn't mean they don't care about long-distance heavy rail.
13. Re:Bummer by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 00:27 · Score: 0
  
  Sure. Right after we fix your grammar.
  Grammar died a few years ago, how can you fix her?
14. Re:Bummer by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 00:36 · Score: 0
  
  Sure. Right after we fix your grammar.
  Who needs improved grammar? Just say "terrorist. terrorist. terrorist" and the government will distribute your bowl of gruel. No spoons though to prevent you from attacking someone or hurting yourself. The Amtrack system is not maintained and without automated slow-down around curves in the track these human-errors will continue unabated.
15. Re:Bummer by I'm+New+Around+Here · 2015-05-13 02:05 · Score: 1
  
  Did I say anything about American exceptionalism? No, I did not.
  I pointed out that it isn't proper /. etiquette to bring up the fact that the US isn't one small European country that can change or upgrade "all of their services for X" in one convenient legislative package.
  And to put a kick in the message, the list of recent train accidents lists several in Canada and Europe, as well as many Asian countries.
  
  --
  If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
16. Re:Bummer by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 03:09 · Score: 0
  
  > For shorter trips (like between DC and NYC), it's a great way to travel.
  Railroad travel between DC and NYC has overtaken plane travel for that route and has effected plane routes. The Acela is a major part of that. Amtrak hopes to get transit time between DC and NYC on the Acela down to 90 minutes - eventually.
17. Re:Bummer by cusco · 2015-05-13 04:03 · Score: 1
  
  I'm just wondering how anyone noticed. It's Philly, most of the area looks like a train wreck . . .
  
  --
  "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
18. Re:Bummer by Miamicanes · 2015-05-13 07:40 · Score: 1
  
  > Big oil and their lackeys the car manufacturers all would love
  > to see rail transportation disappear completely.
  Assuming "Big oil" or "the car manufacturers" even noticed the impact passenger rail has on their bottom lines (read: statistically, none at all), it's still a pretty big reach to argue that the amount is even big enough to justify paying the salary of a single lobbyist or two.
  Remember, outside the northeast, American trains are almost universally DIESEL. And Bombardier's non-electric Acela-type trainset (designed for Florida's HSR about 10 years ago) burned JET FUEL & had per-mile fuel costs that would have made an airline blush (google: "JetTrain" -- it was basically a TGV/Acela power car carrying a jet turbine engine to generate its own power supply. At full speed, the economics weren't too awful... but by virtue of how turbine engines work, it burned almost as much fuel pulling the train at 70mph as it would have taken to pull the train at 180mph).
  Cities didn't rip up their trolley tracks 50 years ago because evil industrialists were scheming to force everyone to buy a car... they did it because ripping up the trolley tracks was politically POPULAR with middle-class voters. They did it because it gave them room to widen roads to 6 lanes & build left turn lanes.
19. Re:Bummer by Grishnakh · 2015-05-13 08:29 · Score: 1
  
  Railroad travel between DC and NYC has overtaken plane travel for that route and has effected plane routes.
  That's good to hear, and it makes perfect sense. Plane travel is a PITA: the airports are far, far away from the cities and require expensive cab rides, whereas the train goes directly to the city center. And there's no long wait time, sitting on the tarmac for hours, or being molested by the TSA.
  They just need to fix the track so they can run at 125+ safely (on the normal train) and they'll easily beat planes for speed when you account for all these extra factors.
20. Re:Bummer by Agripa · 2015-05-14 07:07 · Score: 1
  
  And there's no long wait time, sitting on the tarmac for hours, or being molested by the TSA.
  If rail becomes a serious threat to the airlines then that will change. TSA already practices molesting rail passengers on a trial basis.
amtrak by ganjadude · 2015-05-12 15:22 · Score: -1

amtrak has been having a lot of issues lately with their trains. Im sure its a mixture between driver error and system issues, but there have been like 5 derailments in the past handful of months now, all under amtrak control*

*which to new yorkers means, expect toll hikes on all bridges and tunnels from NYC to albany

--
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
1. Re:amtrak by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:25 · Score: 1
  
  I'll stick to flying, it's much safer. Also, if I'm lucky I'll get a happy ending during the security pat-down.
2. Re:amtrak by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 15:27 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Im sure its a mixture between driver error and system issues
  The majority of derailments are due to track problems or striking vehicles at grade crossings, and nothing to do with the driver or the train. How is it that you are so sure?
3. Re:amtrak by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 15:35 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  all under amtrak control
  Perhaps you are thinking of Metro North which is most decidedly not the same as Amtrak?
  Perhaps you are thinking of the crash involving undiagnosed sleep apnea (Metro North did not screen its employees for sleep apnea as NHTSA recommends for all operators). They changed his shift unexpectedly, his sleep apnea prevented him from sleeping well and he nodded off. It was 100% preventable if Metro North had followed the guidelines.
  Perhaps you are thinking of the derailment and death on Metro North when a train plowed into a work crew. Again no fault to the train or the crew, but a management failure to enforce basic rules of safety.
  Oh and you really think that amtrak sets its prices like that? woof!
4. Re:amtrak by ganjadude · 2015-05-12 15:47 · Score: 4
  
  thank you, you are correct. it seems i mixed metro north train derailment in with amtrak. Thank you for the correction
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
5. Re:amtrak by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 16:04 · Score: -1, Troll
  
  so in other words your entire comment is nothing more than lies and ignorance
6. Re:amtrak by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 16:09 · Score: 1
  
  if I'm lucky I'll get a happy ending during the security pat-down.
  You must be a grand disappointment to your spouse if that's all it takes
7. Re:amtrak by geminidomino · 2015-05-12 17:00 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Or just a mistake, which he acknowledged and thanked you for correcting. Twice.
  And you guys were doing so well heading towards getting a "Reasonable Discussion on the Internet" medal, too.
8. Re:amtrak by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 17:30 · Score: 0
  
  What an asshole you are.
9. Re:amtrak by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 17:56 · Score: -1, Flamebait
  
  "just a mistake"
  not bothering to look up basic facts is just a mistake? so what he said is on the order of a typographical error? wowza
10. Re: amtrak by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 18:02 · Score: 0
  
  Hey! Some people get off on being degraded, you insensitive clod!
11. Re:amtrak by circletimessquare · 2015-05-12 18:09 · Score: 2
  
  in normal human conversation, errors are expected and normal
  if someone is corrected and they flip out because of it, they are not socially well adjusted
  if someone catches someone in an error and they flip out because of it, even after a normal, gracious apology, they are not socially well adjusted
  congratulations, your behavior in this thread defines a deficiency in your basic social development
  welcome to slashdot i guess
  
  --
  intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
12. Re:amtrak by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-05-12 18:41 · Score: 2
  
  not bothering to look up basic facts is just a mistake?
  
  On this site I am not at all surprised you can post at +2.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-12 15:29 · Score: 4, Interesting

I just (2-3 minutes ago) watched it in the morning news - IN A GREECE TV STATION!
2 thoughts:
The world is so small nowadays.
Why is this on Slashdot...!?

--
Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
1. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:41 · Score: 0
  
  American's don't care about all the stupid shit that happens in Greece either, so welcome to the club.
2. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 15:41 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Why is this on Slashdot...!?
  Because some people who read slashdot also take the train
  Because technology failures are interesting to technology people
  Because intrastructure issues are important to the economy that employs slashdot readers
3. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by ganjadude · 2015-05-12 15:48 · Score: 1
  
  it is new news, i think he is wondering why its on slashdot as fast as it is. usually we could expect this news 5 days from now!
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
4. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:50 · Score: 0
  
  Slashdot should wait until a report about this incident is released.
  There's no point reporting breaking news like this here, when pretty much none of the facts are known yet.
  Only when this has been properly investigated will the technical details come out. Only then will the technological failures be known.
  Slashdot should deal with facts, not speculative breaking news. Leave that shit to the CNNs and MSNBCs to cover.
5. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-12 15:50 · Score: 1
  
  Why is this on Slashdot...!?
  Because some people who read slashdot also take the train
  Because technology failures are interesting to technology people
  Because intrastructure issues are important to the economy that employs slashdot readers
  I could accept the later two (even if an accident just happened, without any details of a technical nature, is not a good enough reason to discuss technology/infrastructure issues) - BUT "Because some people who read slashdot also take the train"?
  Should i report about Athens' trafic and weather, just in case?
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
6. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-12 15:55 · Score: 0
  
  American's don't care about all the stupid shit that happens in Greece either, so welcome to the club.
  I would consider it inappropriate for Slashdot even if it had hapened in Greece.
  Anyway: the weather in Athens is good and the trafic not bad yet...
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
7. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 15:55 · Score: 1
  
  You know what? This derailment happened on the busiest passenger railroad line on the whole planet. Many many people will be affected all over the world when these commuters do not arrive at work on time tomorrow. The world still revolves around NYC. This is big news for the business world.
8. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by red+crab · 2015-05-12 15:56 · Score: 1
  
  Someone mod parent up..!
9. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 15:59 · Score: 1
  
  This is the busiest passenger rail on the whole planet.
  This shuts down amtrak and also regional commuter rail.
  Lots and lots of people are going to be late for work tomorrow.
  These are not just any people, they are the ones who pay big money to ride the commuter train (usually over $300/month) so many companies will probably be running very short-handed in the management department tomorrow.
10. Re: Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 16:05 · Score: 0
  
  Don't worry. It will be posted again in 5 days.
11. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 16:07 · Score: 1
  
  the fact that you care enough to comment indicates you're lying
  if the story was really as you say you would not have clicked
  but you clicked and even made a comment, so clearly it worked for you
  congratulations for participating
12. Re: Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 16:21 · Score: 0
  
  Whoever you are please no more comments!!!
13. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-12 16:22 · Score: 1
  
  the fact that you care enough to comment indicates you're lying
  if the story was really as you say you would not have clicked
  but you clicked and even made a comment, so clearly it worked for you
  congratulations for participating
  I made my comment less than ten minutes this story posted in Slashdot, and 3-4 minutes after i watched it in a Greek TV station from Athens - and since is the "morning news" for us, i now watched it 2 more times*!!!
  So, in a world that is so small, you think this story is appropriate for Slashdot?
  I report to fellow Athenian Slashdoters that i just learned we have a small trafic problem in Syntagma square.
  * You can use this link http://www.skai.gr/player/tvli... to watch in live streaming the Greek (Athens) station i watch, but i promise to you that i will return in your comment in few hours, when the Greek station's news is posted to youtube (as they usualy do), so to see it - it even has the (local Greece) time
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
14. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 16:26 · Score: 1
  
  In 1969, man landed on the moon. Most of the planet learned about it 1.3 seconds later.
15. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-12 16:33 · Score: 1
  
  In 1969, man landed on the moon. Most of the planet learned about it 1.3 seconds later.
  I am sure that if we relied on Slashdot for this story we would had learned it much much later - but a news story about a train derail that even a Greek like me just watched it in Greece news stations (and i am sure American did in theirs!) is posted in Slashdot... why?
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
16. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Hognoxious · 2015-05-12 16:39 · Score: 2
  
  American's don't care about all the stupid shit that happens in Greece
  They're not too concerned about plurals and possessives either.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
17. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 16:46 · Score: 0
  
  Ignore him, he's turning into the Greek APK.
18. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 17:05 · Score: 0
  
  I would need a citation on that claim. This doesn't answer the question, but gives a hint where the real traffic may occur: http://www.railway-technology.com/features/featureworlds-busiest-train-stations/
19. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by ShanghaiBill · 2015-05-12 17:33 · Score: 2
  
  This derailment happened on the busiest passenger railroad line on the whole planet.
  I have ridden on this line from NYC to DC. I have also ridden on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo. There is absolutely no way that this Amtrak line is the world's busiest.
20. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-12 17:44 · Score: 0
  
  American's don't care about all the stupid shit that happens in Greece
  They're not too concerned about plurals and possessives either.
  I like NaZi's...
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
21. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antdude · 2015-05-12 17:52 · Score: 1
  
  Dr. Sheldon Cooper and many others take the trains too! :D
  
  --
  Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
22. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 17:56 · Score: 0
  
  > Why is this on Slashdot...!?
  Because a lot of people on the spectrum have an obsession with trains.
23. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 17:58 · Score: 1
  
  There is absolutely no way that this Amtrak line is the world's busiest.
  What you were not paying attention to, is that those rails are not just used by Amtrak. They are also used by SEPTA and New Jersey Transit. Both of these agencies run a lot more trains on these tracks than Amtrak. Between the three of them this is the highest capacity passenger rail in the world.
24. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 18:01 · Score: 0
  
  This is the busiest passenger rail on the whole planet
  Are you sure about that? I thought the rail network in and around Tokyo was busier by an order of magnitude.
25. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by ShanghaiBill · 2015-05-12 18:10 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Between the three of them this is the highest capacity passenger rail in the world.
  No way. The Yamanote line carries more than 3 million people on a typical day. During rush hour, a train arrives every three minutes. This Amtrak line is no where close to that. This train was carrying 258 people. The Japanese pack that many people into a single compartment.
26. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 18:27 · Score: 1
  
  Between the three of them this is the highest capacity passenger rail in the world.
  No way. The Yamanote line carries more than 3 million people on a typical day.
  
  The two train stations in NYC handle over 2 million people on a typical day. They are two of the busiest train stations in the world and they are just a few blocks apart. One million people walk through the main hall at grand central terminal, twice a day. I don't have current stats on how many people ride on the rails in question but it is probably well over a million people a day. This is not some stupid podunk railroad, this is major US infrastructure that is currently down.
27. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 18:27 · Score: 0
  
  Pay debt!
28. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Hognoxious · 2015-05-12 18:27 · Score: 2
  
  There's no such thing as sodium zincide, and even if there was you've got the valencies wrong.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
29. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-05-12 18:46 · Score: 1
  
  My news feed has been all about Greece making payments on the bailout in order to regain confidence.
  You must be talking about our colleagues to the south ... which yeah we kinda wish they'd secede.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
30. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-05-12 18:48 · Score: 1
  
  Slashdot should deal with facts, not speculative breaking news.
  Heh. You do know this site is ad-supported, right?
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
31. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-12 19:09 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  My God... you're such a chemisty NaZi!
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
32. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by dave420 · 2015-05-12 20:32 · Score: 1
  
  You should probably look up those numbers if they're the very crux of your argument. To not do so makes you look rather disturbed.
33. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by serviscope_minor · 2015-05-12 22:51 · Score: 0
  
  What would a eutectic sodium zinc alloy be? Could you get a single crystal in some sort of stochiometric mix? I'm hoping you're a chemist now so I actually get an answer :)
  I've not done chemistry since school and I've rather sadly forgotten almost all of it.
  
  --
  SJW n. One who posts facts.
34. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by GrumpySteen · 2015-05-12 23:38 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Well, for starters, zinc is Zn, not Zi, so it's not going to be NaZi no matter how you arrange the atoms.
35. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by jythie · 2015-05-13 00:46 · Score: 1
  
  Since it is Amtrak it touches on the deep divide within the nerd community regarding mass transit, which ties heavily into cultural disputes, economic philosophy, and masculine identity. So it crosses on some rather touchy topics.
36. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by tehcyder · 2015-05-13 01:01 · Score: 1
  
  You only mentioned you were Greek three times, so I think you got away with it.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
37. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by tehcyder · 2015-05-13 01:03 · Score: 1
  
  In 1969, man landed on the moon. Most of the planet learned about it 1.3 seconds later.
  Not in Greece. I think it took until the 1980s.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
38. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by tehcyder · 2015-05-13 01:05 · Score: 1
  
  Ignore him, he's turning into the Greek APK.
  There are definite similarities in style, irrelevance and insanity.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
39. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by disposable60 · 2015-05-13 03:50 · Score: 1
  
  So it's all over NaZn?
  
  --
  You're looking for quotes? See my journal.
40. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Triklyn · 2015-05-13 07:05 · Score: 1
  
  wait, greece still has TV's?
  also, i hope their commentary goes something along the lines of, "this tragedy occurred on an actual functioning, profit-neutral rail line" because, you know, greeks probably have never encountered that scenario.
  http://www.bbc.com/news/magazi...
41. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Hognoxious · 2015-05-13 11:28 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, realised as soon as I hit it. Posting before coffee after a bad night. Don't do it, kids.
  It'd be wrong as a zirconide too.
  When I was about 15 I knew most of the periodic table by heart, and I'd never deliberately memorised it. It was smaller then, mind...
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
42. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-13 14:57 · Score: 1
  
  wait, greece still has TV's?
  Greece is a poor state with rich citizens - our per capita GNI PPP for 2013 based on World Bank is 25630, 38th richer from more than 200 states. source.
  
  also, i hope their commentary goes something along the lines of, "this tragedy occurred on an actual functioning, profit-neutral rail line" because, you know, greeks probably have never encountered that scenario.
  http://www.bbc.com/news/magazi...
  Well, Greece has a non profit-neutral but surely actual functioning rail line - i used it a month ago.
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
43. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-13 15:16 · Score: 1
  
  You only mentioned you were Greek three times, so I think you got away with it.
  But that is my point! That i am a Greek who watched it on a Greek TV station, so no point for this /. story...
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
44. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by radarskiy · 2015-05-13 15:17 · Score: 1
  
  "One million people walk through the main hall at grand central terminal, twice a day. "
  None of whom are there to get on a train toward Philadelphia and Washington.
45. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-13 18:56 · Score: 1
  
  Since it is Amtrak it touches on the deep divide within the nerd community regarding mass transit, which ties heavily into cultural disputes, economic philosophy, and masculine identity. So it crosses on some rather touchy topics.
  Your explanation is G[r]eek enough for me, thank you Sir... i should better let barbarians deal with their own issues!
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
46. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 21:15 · Score: 0
  
  There are quite a few nerds/geeks that get into trains.
  They would be interested in what went wrong, and what to do to prevent it.
47. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by Triklyn · 2015-05-14 01:20 · Score: 1
  
  :)
  yes, not paying taxes will do that.
  i'd wonder at the purchasing power of the average income. i'd also wonder at the distribution of income, with greece's current 25 percent unemployment rate.
  the US rail is pretty functional too, but that corridor actually turns profits occasionally.
48. Re:Just watched it... IN A GREECE TV STATION... by antiperimetaparalogo · 2015-05-14 03:24 · Score: 1
  
  :) yes, not paying taxes will do that.
  Well, unfortunatly, we Greeks are very good in not paying our taxes...
  
  i'd wonder at the purchasing power of the average income. i'd also wonder at the distribution of income, with greece's current 25 percent unemployment rate.
  Since you seem to know few things, i will give you the Gini index (again from World Bank): 33. Greece has enough income equality, and the unemployment rate is not "true" - we have much "black and grey" economy, so don't believe everything you read. And because of the family ties, almost all Greeks are just fine, we just liked it better when we could have our huge deficits covered by cheap loans...
  
  the US rail is pretty functional too, but that corridor actually turns profits occasionally.
  Our rail was always functional, but also employed much of that current "25 percent unemployment rate"... so, you understand! Nowdays (for the last couple of years) our rail is both functional and... "almost profitable"!
  
  --
  Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
Don Lemon Reporting -- by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:35 · Score: 0

No indications of terrorism are suspected.
relevance? by frovingslosh · 2015-05-12 15:38 · Score: -1, Troll

I see we are no longer even pretending that Slashdot is for stories of interest to it's target group. Why assume that geeks can't follow Google news or any other Internet news source if they have an interest in non-technical news?

--
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
1. Re:relevance? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:43 · Score: 0, Insightful
  
  Also, how come we can get non-technical news on the day it happens, but screw getting anything technically interesting in a timely fashion...
2. Re:relevance? by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 15:44 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  because here on slashdot we might actually have an interesting discussion about why trains fall off the tracks, the merits of infrastructure investment, why people prefer different forms of transpotation, etc.
  believe it or not some people come here for the comments
3. Re:relevance? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:45 · Score: 0
  
  Maybe something to do with this?
4. Re:relevance? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:50 · Score: 0
  
  Hey this is entirely relevant! I lived in Philadelphia recently so I know where this is located. See? Relevant
5. Re:relevance? by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-05-12 15:53 · Score: 1
  
  Were you interested in every single other story on the front page? No? Then kindly shut the fuck up.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
6. Re:relevance? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:58 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  There should be a systemd story here every day. The impact systemd is having on the Linux community, and the open source community, is without precedent. It's the kind of thing that should be getting constant coverage here at Slashdot, yet we hear almost nothing about it.
  Systemd is revolutionizing (and not for the better) how each and every major Linux distro fits together. Not only is there the technical aspect to it, but systemd is dramatically changing how contemporary Linux distro projects are organized.
  I mean, we're seeing Debian, one of the largest and most stable of all of the Linux distributions for around two decades, being absolutely destroyed, technologically and socially, by systemd.
  Comparatively, systemd is a much bigger issue than SCO ever was. Systemd is much more harmful to Linux and open source than Microsoft ever was. Yet for something that's having such an impact on Linux, we're hearing next to nothing about it here at Slashdot. Systemd should be getting coverage above and beyond the coverage that SCO and Microsoft got in the past.
  While systemd, which is indisputably the most news-worthy thing happening to the Linux community, goes almost unreported, Slashdot still manages to report on minor local incidents like this one, as well as so-called "social justice" issues.
  Slashdot should do the right thing and focus on systemd. It's an issue that we need to look at, and we need to discuss. And we need this to be done right away.
7. Re:relevance? by AK+Marc · 2015-05-12 16:01 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  How is a story about the most automated vehicle class on the planet, with some of the most powerful mobile engines not be of interest to people who like technology? Nerds like trains.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
8. Re:relevance? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 16:05 · Score: -1
  
  I was interested in all of the stories here until they started to mostly become about social justice issues, or isolated and irrelevant incidents like this one.
9. Re:relevance? by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-05-12 16:12 · Score: 1
  
  You've been suffering for more than a decade. You poor soul.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
10. Re:relevance? by linuxrocks123 · 2015-05-12 16:13 · Score: 1
  
  If you have only one day in Los Angeles, make it a train day!
  
  --
  vi ~/.emacs # I'm probably going to Hell for this.
11. Re:relevance? by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 16:32 · Score: 1
  
  there's no doubt that people in LA need more training
12. Re:relevance? by linuxrocks123 · 2015-05-12 16:42 · Score: 1
  
  I'm glad you don't hate fun!
  
  --
  vi ~/.emacs # I'm probably going to Hell for this.
13. Re:relevance? by weilawei · 2015-05-12 17:17 · Score: 1
  
  The Mayor said during his quick press conference they won't speculate on what happened or how or why. Those are the interesting things up for debate in the court of Slashdot.
  This should be on Slashdot in a week when the NTSB gives us some preliminary findings.
14. Re:relevance? by fustakrakich · 2015-05-12 17:36 · Score: 1
  
  I read Slashdot for the articles...
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
15. Re:relevance? by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 17:59 · Score: 0
  
  that's beyond pathetic
16. Re:relevance? by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 18:03 · Score: 1
  
  The Mayor said during his quick press conference they won't speculate on what happened or how or why.
  We don't have to speculate on the immediate effects on local train transportation. We don't need to know what caused the wreck to know that it's going to be a major hassle for a lot of people until the rails are cleared. We don't need to wait for the official report on the cause before we start making alternative plans to get to work.
17. Re:relevance? by weilawei · 2015-05-12 18:06 · Score: 1
  
  We don't need to wait for the official report on the cause before we start making alternative plans to get to work.
  I don't get my news on weather and traffic conditions from a technology website.
18. Re:relevance? by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 18:12 · Score: 1
  
  but of all the web pages on the entire internet, you choose to look at this one and you even bothered to post a comment
  why is it that you can't admit to yourself that the article was indeed interesting enough to click on? because that is precisely what you did.
19. Re:relevance? by weilawei · 2015-05-12 18:40 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, I posted a comment about the inappropriateness of the story. Often, things tangential or meta to the story are discussed in the comments.
  Interesting does not automatically make something appropriate for a given situation. If the interesting thing was the mechanism of the accident or the novel lifesaving techniques being used to rescue victims, it might have been more appropriate.
  I suspect your Pandora stations all mercilessly bleed over into one another.
20. Re: relevance? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 01:44 · Score: 0
  
  This travel makes me wish for the old VI vs emacs arguments.
21. Re:relevance? by frovingslosh · 2015-05-13 05:04 · Score: 1
  
  Come on! An Amtrak train falls of the track again and this is news and of interest to the technical community? We might as well have an article about how the sun rose in the east this morning. Not only is it just as much news worthy, but it includes subjects such as astronomy (which is even gooder than playing with chew-cho trains.)
  
  --
  I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
22. Re:relevance? by Agripa · 2015-05-14 07:10 · Score: 1
  
  So systemd caused the rail crash? I knew it!
23. Re:relevance? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-26 03:17 · Score: 0
  
  lol. exactly. I've been reading for over 10 years :)
lesson 1 by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:39 · Score: 1

How many deaths will it take before we as a country demand proper upkeep and upgrade of infrastructure. We used to have the best infrastructure in the world. Power, transportation, communication (telegram, phone, internet), water projects, and etc. Is sad how things have gone downhill so badly.
1. Re: lesson 1 by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 15:44 · Score: 0
  
  How many deaths until we ban mass transit? Or at least enact reasonable mass transit control laws. You transit nuts are responsible for thousands of innocent children dying is massive slaughters like this.
2. Re: lesson 1 by aaronmd · 2015-05-12 15:50 · Score: 1
  
  How many deaths will it take before we as a country demand proper upkeep and upgrade of infrastructure. We used to have the best infrastructure in the world. Power, transportation, communication (telegram, phone, internet), water projects, and etc. Is sad how things have gone downhill so badly.
  
  How many deaths until we ban mass transit? Or at least enact reasonable mass transit control laws. You transit nuts are responsible for thousands of innocent children dying is massive slaughters like this.
  32,000+ car accident deaths in the USA in 2013.
  34 rail deaths in 2013.
  http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_02_01.html_mfd
  Suck it, Trebek.
3. Re: lesson 1 by ArcadeMan · 2015-05-12 16:07 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  32,000+ car accident deaths in the USA in 2013.
  34 rail deaths in 2013.
  Wow, Ruby really does suck. I'm sticking with PHP.
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
4. Re:lesson 1 by ShanghaiBill · 2015-05-12 17:06 · Score: 1
  
  How many deaths will it take before we as a country demand proper upkeep and upgrade of infrastructure.
  Zero died in this incident, and it isn't clear that "bad infrastructure" even played a role.
5. Re:lesson 1 by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 17:26 · Score: 0
  
  Read the linked article's title: "Amtrak train derails in Philadelphia, killing at least five"
  5 dead and at least 6 other are critical. The summary chose to omit that info.
  This won't stop me from riding trains. They are the most pleasant form of transportation, assuming they're going where you need them to go.
6. Re:lesson 1 by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 17:52 · Score: 1
  
  Zero died in this incident,
  If you can't get that part right it doesn't speak much for any of the other things you say.
7. Re: lesson 1 by rioki · 2015-05-12 18:09 · Score: 1
  
  Wosh!
8. Re:lesson 1 by jythie · 2015-05-13 00:42 · Score: 1
  
  To be fair, this is a rapidly updating story with various reports having between 0 and 6 deaths depending on when they were written, at least as of this comment.
9. Re:lesson 1 by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 08:10 · Score: 0
  
  The train was traveling at 100mph+ into a 50mph "sharp" corner. Nothing to do with infrastructure.
10. Re:lesson 1 by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 16:49 · Score: 0
  
  Everything to do with infrastructure. PTC would have made it impossible to enter a 50mph curve at 105mph, and PTC installations have been proceeding slowly because of budgetary constraints.
11. Re: lesson 1 by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-14 06:33 · Score: 0
  
  PTC, in its current state of security is an attack surface that allows an attacker to control the train remotely. Unless there is a manual override, the engineer will be along for the ride. And, of course, the whole point of PTC is to prevent manual override - to avoid suicide/homicide by crashing.
straw man bashing festival in progress by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 15:47 · Score: 4, Insightful

Nobody ever said that we should upgrade every single mile of railroad in this country and nobody ever said that we should offer high speed rail service to rural Wyoming, but that won't stop people from telling us why it's hopeless to upgrade our rail system.
1. Re:straw man bashing festival in progress by l0n3s0m3phr34k · 2015-05-12 20:59 · Score: 1
  
  I say that we should upgrade every single mile of railroad! I also demand that every town that has a paved road should also get high-speed maglev.
2. Re:straw man bashing festival in progress by mu51c10rd · 2015-05-13 04:51 · Score: 1
  
  we should offer high speed rail service to rural Wyoming
  Then again...that would sure speed up getting tourists to Yellowstone.
not news for nerds, nor does it matter by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 16:27 · Score: -1

a local train derailment? gimme a break. fuck off dicedot
High speed rail... by Tolvor · 2015-05-12 17:27 · Score: 1

California is on pace to spent 2 trillion dollars on creating a new high speed rail like (between 80 mph and 400 mph). Too bad rail safety isn't what it needs to be.
1. Re:High speed rail... by FranTaylor · 2015-05-12 18:00 · Score: 1
  
  Too bad rail safety isn't what it needs to be.
  Yeah if it were only safer than every other mode of transportation.
  Oh wait, it is.
2. Re:High speed rail... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 03:28 · Score: 0
  
  Its much much much safer than car travel it is replacing. Metro North came under serious fire lately due to a few accidents (less people died in all those accidents than 1 day in car travel).
  How is one high profile crash indicative of rail safety in general?
The area is like a small European country by Bruce66423 · 2015-05-12 19:14 · Score: 1

So the adoption of policies appropriate to Europe FOR THAT AREA of the USA is entirely appropriate. The failure to learn those lessons, and instead to insist on spraying AMTRAK money across totally useless routes as pork for congress rats, is an example of the problems of US democracy.
1. Re:The area is like a small European country by I'm+New+Around+Here · 2015-05-13 01:50 · Score: 1
  
  You don't understand how national transportation systems work, apparently. And as much as I wish Congress would eliminate pork, I doubt if Amtrak was the only train running on that section of tracks.
  
  --
  If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
2. Re:The area is like a small European country by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 04:02 · Score: 0
  
  You gotta be kidding me. You think a train route from Boston to DC is useless? Northeast Corridor is the busiest passenger route in the country and it is actually profitable on its own. 2,200 trains A DAY run on part of that route and it carries high speed rail too. Amtrak carried more than three times as many riders between Washington, DC, and New York City as the airline industry. Amtrak carried more riders between New York City and Boston than all of the airlines combined. That doesn't even consider all the commuter lines that run on those tracks.
sex With a goat by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 21:07 · Score: -1

Or mislead the progrees. Any
Rail Personnel by tquasar · 2015-05-12 21:25 · Score: 1

It's a stressful job working long hours away from friends and family. Have you ever been in a train cab? They are not designed for comfort .Noisy and diesel fumes. A friend worked on trains in New Mexico, good pay and benefits but he was stressed.
1. Re:Rail Personnel by Grishnakh · 2015-05-12 23:14 · Score: 1
  
  This was the Amtrak line between DC and NYC. There's no diesel fumes on that train, because it uses an electric locomotive.
2. Re:Rail Personnel by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 03:17 · Score: 0
  
  Diesel Electric.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel-electric_transmission
3. Re:Rail Personnel by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 03:37 · Score: 0
  
  The train in question is an electric locomotive on a fully electrified route as with all the other thousands of trains that travel that route every day - Amtrak, Acela (also operated by Amtrak), Metro North, MTA, SEPTA... probably more. I live next to the train tracks along this route and trains go by all day and night and diesel pollution isn't a problem at my house.
4. Re:Rail Personnel by dj245 · 2015-05-13 03:48 · Score: 1
  
  This was the Amtrak line between DC and NYC. There's no diesel fumes on that train, because it uses an electric locomotive.
  It may have been a diesel electric unit. Many routes, such as the Northeast Regional travel from DC to NYC. But they also continue on to other places, like Richmond, VA. I can assure you that the trains continuing on to Richmond are diesel-electric since that line is not electrified. Often they will swap locomotives in DC, but not always.
  
  --
  Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
5. Re:Rail Personnel by Grishnakh · 2015-05-13 08:34 · Score: 1
  
  Wrong, it's all-electric. Diesel engines are illegal to drive into NYC, because the rail tunnel going under the Hudson has insufficient ventilation for it. The track between DC and NYC is electrified (has electric wires overhead to directly power the locomotive).
  Here's some articles for you:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05...
  From the Wikipedia article:
  "Its electric locomotives are confined to the Northeast Corridor and Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line, while its diesels may be found anywhere in the United States."
6. Re:Rail Personnel by Grishnakh · 2015-05-13 08:43 · Score: 1
  
  It may have been a diesel electric unit. Many routes, such as the Northeast Regional [amtrak.com] travel from DC to NYC. But they also continue on to other places, like Richmond, VA. I can assure you that the trains continuing on to Richmond are diesel-electric since that line is not electrified. Often they will swap locomotives in DC, but not always.
  They are *not allowed* to run diesel powered locomotives into NYC. So unless those diesel-electric locomotives are dual-power (meaning they can either run on diesel, or on electricity only, supplied by the overhead lines), they can't use them. Every time I've taken a Northeast Regional train through DC, they stopped the train for an hour at the DC station and swapped out the locomotive (as the electrified lines do stop at DC, as you point out). Also, the electric locomotives are faster; they get up to 125mph.
  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05...
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
High Center of Gravity by gnupun · 2015-05-12 21:39 · Score: 1

If you look at this amtrak passenger coach, its height seems to be above 20 feet. When something this tall, riding on narrow rails, takes a high speed turn, it's bound to overturn and derail due to high center of gravity. Why don't they make much shorter coaches to reduce the CoG? That might eliminate most of these crashes.
1. Re:High Center of Gravity by Grishnakh · 2015-05-12 23:17 · Score: 1
  
  Because people don't want to crawl around in 5-foot-high passenger compartments, that's why.
  The coach has to be that high off the ground because of the height of the wheels.
  One problem in my view is definitely the narrow width (4'8.5") of the rails, which of course we can thank the Romans for (train rails are that width so that two Roman war horses can fit between them and pull a chariot that isn't any wider than their two butts). If they made the rails wider, trains would be more stable in turns. However, they also wouldn't be able to take turns as tightly; that's the trade-off with rail gauge.
2. Re:High Center of Gravity by RailRide · 2015-05-13 02:36 · Score: 1
  
  Those cars as pictured do not run on the Northeast Corridor. Maximum allowable height on the NEC is 14'6" (4.4m) due to the Baltimore and Hudson River tunnels, and that's only if the top corners of the carbody are angled.
  
  ---PCJ
3. Re:High Center of Gravity by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 02:47 · Score: 1
  
  The center of gravity is not half of the height. These cars have massive chassis just a few feet above the ground, and then a relatively light frame and skin above that. I would be surprised if the center of gravity is much more than 6 feet off the ground.
4. Re:High Center of Gravity by gnupun · 2015-05-13 03:36 · Score: 1
  
  I would be surprised if the center of gravity is much more than 6 feet off the ground.
  It's probably higher than that since the coach rides high over the chassis. Most cars are way below 6 feet in height and SUVs, which are around 6 feet in height, usually have a high rollover risk, again mainly due to their high CoG compared to regular cars even though they are bottom-heavy, just like train coaches.
5. Re:High Center of Gravity by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 03:47 · Score: 0
  
  You gotta be kidding me, you have no idea what you are talking about. Those trains don't run on the Northeast Corridor nor is that type of train pictured in the news. These are with the NC trains look like - http://media.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/photo/2011/01/9217854-large.jpg The trains on the Northeast Corridor have to fit in the tunnels of Penn Station - nothing even remotely that big could fit in Penn Station. My house is next to the Northeast Corridor train tracks and I haven't seen those types of passenger cars at all. I think those ones might be Double Decker or sleeper cars?
6. Re:High Center of Gravity by dj245 · 2015-05-13 04:03 · Score: 1
  
  I would be surprised if the center of gravity is much more than 6 feet off the ground.
  It's probably higher than that since the coach rides high over the chassis. Most cars are way below 6 feet in height and SUVs, which are around 6 feet in height, usually have a high rollover risk, again mainly due to their high CoG compared to regular cars even though they are bottom-heavy, just like train coaches.
  Well, prepare to be surprised then. According to this diagram of an Amfleet I car, the CG is at 60.4 inches or a hair more than 5 feet. The wheels and bogies of a train are very heavy. Amfleet II cars are a little different, but not in ways that would significantly affect the CG.
  
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  Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
7. Re:High Center of Gravity by dj245 · 2015-05-13 04:07 · Score: 1
  
  If you look at this amtrak passenger coach, its height seems to be above 20 feet. When something this tall, riding on narrow rails, takes a high speed turn, it's bound to overturn and derail due to high center of gravity. Why don't they make much shorter coaches to reduce the CoG? That might eliminate most of these crashes.
  That's a special parlour car, which seems to be extra high compared to most passenger coaches in the USA. The standard is the Amfleet I and Amfleet II passenger cars, which are all 12ft, 8 inches tall with a CG of 60.4 inches.
  
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  Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
8. Re:High Center of Gravity by squiggleslash · 2015-05-13 06:17 · Score: 1
  
  That's kinda irrelevant in this case. The crash that just happened happened on the NEC, a stretch of track from DC to Boston that has tighter clearances than most of the rest of the US, in part because the rest of the US was kind of developed haphazardly.
  On the NEC, passenger trains have a maximum height from top of rail to top of car of 14.5 feet. The maximum width is 10.5 feet, but that's usually the case elsewhere too. 14.5 feet isn't excessively high, I believe similar heights are used throughout Europe with the exception of the UK, where 12.5 foot (and 9.5 ' widths) are standard.
  
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  You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Unbreakable by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-12 23:07 · Score: 0

Did only one person survive miraculously unharmed?
Your conclusion is ridiculous by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 00:39 · Score: 1

It's bad enough that you bring a specific political party into the mix and throw blanket racial nonsense at your sycophant upmodders...but... Your main assertion without citation about white and black culture has been debunked by a black professor from a not-insignificantly liberal college called UC Berkeley.

If you want to know why America hasn't gotten past race, look no further than your mirror.
Thank god it's not China by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-13 02:13 · Score: 0

Just imagine what the comments from slashdot will be