• Train Derails at Chicago Airport, Makes It Halfway Up the Stairs
    43 replies, posted
[img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-xlarge2/jaarr23d0ii55te4nbqz.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-xlarge2/nugepntccniu1ucarr84.jpg[/img] [img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bje1RlmCcAABppw.jpg[/img] [quote]More than 30 people were injured this morning when a CTA train jumped the platform and climbed up an escalator at the end of the Blue Line at O'Hare International Airport, officials said. “I heard a boom and when I got off the train, the train was all the way up the escalator. It’s a wreck,” Denise Adams, who was riding toward the back of the train, told reporters. “It was a lot of panic because it was hard to get people off the train." Fire crews scrambled to determine if anyone was underneath the train but no one was found, according to Chicago Fire Commissioner Joe Santiago. All of the injured were aboard the train and were taken in fair or good condition to four hospitals, he said. The operator of the train "was walking and talking as we were investigating," Santiago said. The eight-car train was wedged near the top of an escalator used by commuters at the Blue Line terminal. CTA spokesman Brian Steele said workers may have to cut up the car and remove it piece by piece, which could take 12 to 24 hours. Then the damage will have to be assessed and repairs made before trains use the station, he said. In the meantime, shuttle buses will be used between Rosemont and O'Hare. Steele said the cause of the accident remained under investigation. "We don't know yet what led to this incident. . .We will be looking at everything — equipment, signals, the human factor, any extenuating circumstances,” he said. Steele did say the train was “apparently traveling at a higher rate of speed than a train would be” while pulling into the station and officials are trying to determine why. He said the National Transportation Safety Board was also investigating. The accident happened around 2:50 a.m. "There is a stop down there for each track. There's three tracks there. The train actually climbed over the last stop, jumped up the sidewalk and went up the escalator," Santiago said. More than 50 firefighters and paramedics responded, he said. "We did not know if there was anyone underneath the train. . .so we brought in our specialized units to check underneath there. . .They made a visual to make sure no one was underneath." Six people were listed in fair-to-serious condition and 26 in good-to-fair condition, fire officials on the scene said. Nine were transported to Resurrection Hospital, eight each went to Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center and Swedish Covenant Hospital, and seven went to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. All of the injured were passengers on the train, officials said. Robert Kelly, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308, which represents more than 3,500 CTA workers, said the operator suffered minor injuries to her leg. The operator will undergo drug and alcohol tests as part of standard procedure, Steele said. Initial inspections indicate that the front two cars of the train were damaged as well as the escalator, officials said. "Once we remove the train, we'll have a much clearer picture of what the issues are there," said Chris Bushell, chief infrastructure officer for the CTA. "At this moment, it looks like we have significant damage to one escalator." While there was some structural damage to the platform as well, "the stairs look solid and the majority of the rest of the structure underneath looks solid." Steele said the accident occurred during one of the lowest traffic times at the station. While trains were stopped at O'Hare, they were running between the Logan Square and Rosemont stops. Steele said the agency is using large, reticulated buses between Rosemont and O'Hare and they would operate on a load-and-go basis instead of on a schedule. Once they are full, they'll leave. He estimated the accident is adding 5 to 10 minutes to a trip to O'Hare.[/quote] [url]http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-ohare-train-crash-20140324,0,1750012.story[/url]
Jesus that's scary.. Who the hell put stairs at the end of the tracks anyway?
Overenthusiastic train tried to get the passengers all the way to the terminal
[QUOTE=Medevila;44338613]They really aren't, just a bit of parallax making it look like that in the first picture[/QUOTE] No I mean you can see it in this picture: [img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-xlarge2/nugepntccniu1ucarr84.jpg[/img] Tracks, small platform bit, stairs. I've seen enough movies to know that is a bad idea.
This could be a neat FPS map!
Wow, lucky no one was killed.
Reminds me of this [video=youtube;iPYXoMG3_SY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPYXoMG3_SY[/video]
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;44338630]No I mean you can see it in this picture: [img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-xlarge2/nugepntccniu1ucarr84.jpg[/img] Tracks, small platform bit, stairs. I've seen enough movies to know that is a bad idea.[/QUOTE] Your avatar + the picture gave me flashbacks to the L4D 1 campaign; being on the escalator going down and witnessing the train coming towards you but not stopping normally would be horrifying :v:
Thomas, go home, your drunk
Small underground station platforms like this always make me a bit on edge, Clapham common at rush hour is a bit unnerving. [img]http://i.imgur.com/Yh8har9.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/K8g6VHK.jpg[/img]
Thought it was game footage for a second, I'm crazy.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;44338608]Jesus that's scary.. Who the hell put stairs at the end of the tracks anyway?[/QUOTE]It's a 3-track terminus station, only the middle track has stairs in front of it. [t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/3124458_926b84ef96_o.jpg[/t] Fairly standard design for a station at the end of the line, Uxbridge station on the London Underground has a similar layout. [t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Uxbridge_station_centre_platform_buffers.JPG[/t] [QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;44338630]No I mean you can see it in this picture: [img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-xlarge2/nugepntccniu1ucarr84.jpg[/img] Tracks, small platform bit, stairs. I've seen enough movies to know that is a bad idea.[/QUOTE]Because the chances of this happening are astronomically low and movies are in not a good example of how things work in real life.
[QUOTE=shian;44338597][ [img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bje1RlmCcAABppw.jpg[/img] [/QUOTE] The driver probably went all "10 bucks says I can make that jump!".
[QUOTE=Political Gamer;44338885]It's a 3-track terminus station, only the middle track has stairs in front of it. [t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/3124458_926b84ef96_o.jpg[/t] Fairly standard design for a station at the end of the line, Uxbridge station on the London Underground has a similar layout. [t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Uxbridge_station_centre_platform_buffers.JPG[/t] Because the chances of this happening are astronomically low and movies are in not a good example of how things work in real life.[/QUOTE]If something can go wrong, at some point it will go wrong. Worth a re-think, I think.
[QUOTE=RoboChimp;44338953]Worth a re-think, I think.[/QUOTE]Not really unless you want to pay for the tracks to be lowered and or extended beyond the platform. And in the case of the O'Hare station this would be difficult and very expensive as it's under a freaking airport. The only way to cut down or at least try and prevent these from happening is installing automatic signaling that can make up for driver error, the most likely cause of this crash. But again that costs time to plan and capital to build, things that US transit system in particular lack significantly. At the end of the day this will be another accident chalked up to driver error that everyone will forget about in a few weeks.
[QUOTE=Hellreaver;44338783]Events like these further strengthen my irrational fear of these types of transport. I've seen way too many hospital dramas/final destination-esque films and now it's imprinted in my brain that trains/subway/planes/rollecoasters etc = decapitation and death. I really wish I could get over it, but the idea's been stuck up there for a looong time.[/QUOTE] to be fair you're just as likely to slip in the shower and hang yourself accidentally
[QUOTE=Political Gamer;44339042]Not really unless you want to pay for the tracks to be lowered and or extended beyond the platform. And in the case of the O'Hare station this would be difficult and very expensive as it's under a freaking airport. The only way to cut down or at least try and prevent these from happening is installing automatic signaling that can make up for driver error, the most likely cause of this crash. But again that costs time to plan and capital to build, things that US transit system in particular lack significantly. At the end of the day this will be another accident chalked up to driver error that everyone will forget about in a few weeks.[/QUOTE]Well I could tell they were in poor from the 1970s trains. But the answer is simple; just stop using the middle platform.
obviously he was trying to be healthy as he was going up the stairs, got stuck and just gave up.
I'm just down the street from there and have taken plenty of CTA trains. Having an end-of-line with stairs nearby (they were on the platform, not directly in front of the train) isn't basis for restructuring the system at all. It was a transport from the city [I]to O'Hare, the massive Chicago Airport[/I]. All the local train lines are end-of-line there, not through-traffic. If you want an example of a lot of trains stopping dead in front of huge crowds of people, Union Station has two dozen or so end-of-line tracks that stop like this in front of the loading zones [t]https://metrarail.com/content/dam/metra/images/DowntownStationImages/Union_5.jpg[/t] [t]http://www.subwaynut.com/amtrak/chicago_union/chicago_union6.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=RoboChimp;44339084]Well I could tell they were in poor from the 1970s trains. But the answer is simple; just stop using the middle platform.[/QUOTE]First off those trains were build in the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2600_series_(Chicago_'L')]80s[/url] and are on schedule to start being replaced in 2-3 years keeping within the 40 year average life for railcars. As for shutting down the middle platform, are you joking? The station in it's current configuration lacks any kind of tail tracks meaning at rush hour all 3 platforms are needed to keep things on schedule. Taking out that track just because once in the stations entire history there was a crash is really over-reactive, this is not RollerCoaster Tycoon. [editline]24th March 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=dai;44339205]I'm just down the street from there and have taken plenty of CTA trains. Having an EOL with stairs nearby (they were on the platform, not directly in front of the train) isn't basis for restructuring the system at all. It was a transport from the city [I]to O'Hare, the massive Chicago Airport[/I]. All the local train lines are EOL there, not through-traffic. If you want an example of a lot of trains stopping dead in front of huge crowds of people, Union Station has two dozen or so end-of-line tracks that stop like this right in front of huge areas where people line up and walk to street level [t]https://metrarail.com/content/dam/metra/images/DowntownStationImages/Union_5.jpg[/t] [t]http://www.subwaynut.com/amtrak/chicago_union/chicago_union6.jpg[/t][/QUOTE]Ironicly Union station is something that would greatly benifit from getting rid of it's at-grade terminus tracks. Not necessarily from a safety standpoint as much of an operation flexibility standpoint because now you could run lines that connect both north and south without needing to change trains in the city. Granted this would mean removing the ugly skyscraper that currently sits on top of that station then gutting the current terminal to realign the tracks up but oh would it be worth it.
I want to see the security footage of that
[QUOTE=Political Gamer;44339220]First off those trains were build in the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2600_series_(Chicago_'L')]80s[/url] and are on schedule to start being replaced in 2-3 years keeping within the 40 year average life for railcars. As for shutting down the middle platform, are you joking? The station in it's current configuration lacks any kind of tail tracks meaning at rush hour all 3 platforms are needed to keep things on schedule. Taking out that track just because once in the stations entire history there was a crash is really over-reactive, this is not RollerCoaster Tycoon. [editline]24th March 2014[/editline] Ironicly Union station is something that would greatly benifit from getting rid of it's at-grade terminus tracks. Not necessarily from a safety standpoint as much of an operation flexibility standpoint because now you could run lines that connect both north and south without needing to change trains in the city. Granted this would mean removing the ugly skyscraper that currently sits on top of that station then gutting the current terminal to realign the tracks up but oh would it be worth it.[/QUOTE]Good points, but can't they do anything about it, will it just be swept under the rug?
[QUOTE=RoboChimp;44339416]Good points, but can't they do anything about it, will it just be swept under the rug?[/QUOTE] it's a freak accident. This is what will happen: • clean up the wreckage, rebuild the facilities exactly as they were • assess whether it was human error or a mechanical failure in the old train, fire, fine and potentially imprison whoever fucked up • continue carting hundreds of thousands of people around on their extremely tight schedules as they prepare to replace the overall train system over the coming years as political mentioned.
everything is so odd in this thread, although it may be because im somewhat high. i do like seeing odd accidents involving trains though
Fucking hell. How does a traincar just hop off the tracks and go up the stairs?
[QUOTE=Political Gamer;44339220]Not necessarily from a safety standpoint as much of an operation flexibility standpoint because now you could run lines that connect both north and south without needing to change trains in the city. Granted this would mean removing the ugly skyscraper that currently sits on top of that station then gutting the current terminal to realign the tracks up but oh would it be worth it.[/QUOTE] To keep the same flow you have now, you couldn't just connect the tracks in the middle, you'd likely have to double the number of tracks wide at the station to allow the same number of trains to park and pass each other in the center, adding platforms on top of that. Would it take over the next building down? Extend to a second layer underground? And to what benefit? The trains would still stop for a long time to let the majority of passengers out at the station. The time to clear out a train and load up new passengers may be a good wait anyways, and even then it may be likely your train line into the station wouldn't connect with the line you need to take further the other direction and you'd have to swap lines anyways. I hate to be pessimistic about furthering technologies and making the city more efficient but this feels like it would have minimal benefit to passengers and huge cost and negative benefit for metra
Christ I'm glad this didn't happen on the Orange line which is closest to me. End of the line there is Midway Airport.
[QUOTE=cherry gmod;44338752]Small underground station platforms like this always make me a bit on edge, Clapham common at rush hour is a bit unnerving. [img]http://i.imgur.com/Yh8har9.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/K8g6VHK.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] whenever i go past i always wonder how many people have fallen off at rush hour. most other stations that had one have had their island platform removed
[QUOTE=dai;44339663]To keep the same flow you have now, you couldn't just connect the tracks in the middle, you'd likely have to double the number of tracks wide at the station to allow the same number of trains to park and pass each other in the center, adding platforms on top of that. Would it take over the next building down? Extend to a second layer underground? And to what benefit? The trains would still stop for a long time to let the majority of passengers out at the station. The time to clear out a train and load up new passengers may be a good wait anyways, and even then it may be likely your train line into the station wouldn't connect with the line you need to take further the other direction and you'd have to swap lines anyways. I hate to be pessimistic about furthering technologies and making the city more efficient but this feels like it would have minimal benefit to passengers and huge cost and negative benefit for metra[/QUOTE]You need to stop thinking about it in American rail terms but in European or Asian rail terms. Metra in it's current state is the posterchild for generic American style commuter rail, long haul trains that are almost unusable outside of rush hour. First off have the inefficiencies inherent with Terminal stations, you have to back up to get out of the station. This means the train effectively takes up 2 slots because it needs the same track twice as it goes in and out. Now with a though-running system that train can drop off/pick up then leave instantly making room for more trains very quickly. This would actually reduce the number of platforms needed. Any trains that require longer times could easily be diverted to the other 3 terminal stations. As for the long dwell times those can be changed with new rolling stock with more doors. Pushing people in and out of only 1 set creates bottlenecks that can be fixed by adding sets of doors at both ends. This would allow passengers to be more spread out regardless of if they are getting on or off. And yes some people would need to change lines but said lines can be configured to reduce the possibility by surveying commuters to determine what lines to merge or not. Then you need to think of regional and high speed rail. Currently Amtrak has a single track to get from one side of the station to the other bottlenecking their trains. Under the new system these trains would have the long platforms they need without the cost of building say platforms under Canal street. The rebuild would also need to coincide with a total reshuffle of Metra's operating structure. Trips would be broken up into 2 tiers, local and suburban. Locals would be DMUs like [url=http://www.trainweb.org/ultradomes/dmu/talent1.jpg]this,[/url] short, zippy, frequent, little trains that would mostly stick to stations east of I-294. They would stop at every station with fares comparable to the CTA's to attract riders. It would basically be a slightly less frequent CTA equivalent that resemble more along the lines of German S-Bahn systems or French RERs. The suburban system would be mostly west of I-294 with trains similar to the current Metra fleet. These would stop at every station until the "Local zone" is reached where they would run express till they reach the city only stopping at the most popular stations. While the DMUs would all stop at Union then quickly move on the suburbans would go to one of the terminus stations or Union if they are routed to go back out of the city. The entire point of rebuilding Metra to act like this is to break the cycle of these railroads only existing to move people from the suburbs to get to their city jobs and only that. I want a Metra that serves everyone and does not punish those who miss the train. I want a Metra that I can just get up and go. I want a Metra that doesn't just serve downtown. I want a Metra that can work with future regional and high speed rails. Basically I want a Euro/Asian style rail system and not an American one!
[QUOTE=Political Gamer;44339220]First off those trains were build in the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2600_series_(Chicago_'L')]80s[/url] and are on schedule to start being replaced in 2-3 years keeping within the 40 year average life for railcars. As for shutting down the middle platform, are you joking? The station in it's current configuration lacks any kind of tail tracks meaning at rush hour all 3 platforms are needed to keep things on schedule. Taking out that track just because once in the stations entire history there was a crash is really over-reactive, this is not RollerCoaster Tycoon. [/QUOTE] If anything they need more trains. Rush hour in O'hare Airport is so packed you are lucky to make it to your gate in time if you have to wait to get on one of these trains.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.