Badly Disabling Train Accident in Germany

[Hybrid]

A Badly Disabling Accident has taken the lives of 11 rush-hour workers in Germany and injuring nearly hundred. Two trains have had a head-on collusion @ 100kmph. (Pun on the name of the Town in Germany)

Now that news items rings a faint bell in my mind!
There was a similar accident in LK and the blame was put on bad signals!

Read on.....

http://www.dw.com/en/a-rush-hour-train-collision-in-bad-aibling-bavaria/g-19036100

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

There are many unanswered questions than answered ones.
(If I am not mistaken, if one driver jumps Red, the system should warn him first to reduce speed. If that warning is not heeded, then the system will take over and brake the train. Interestingly it did not happened and the operator was implying the blind spot theory).

[RanaTop contributor]

An unconfirmed report suggested that an automatic braking system had been switched off to allow one of the trains to make up time.

There are many unanswered questions than answered ones.  
(If I am not mistaken, if one driver jumps Red, the system should warn him first to reduce speed. If that warning is not heeded, then the system will take over and brake the train. Interestingly it did not happened and the operator was implying the blind spot theory).

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

Yes, it is a possibility as such systems can be over-ridden.
(The guys at consoles should have been more vigilant then).

An unconfirmed report suggested that an automatic braking system had been switched off to allow one of the trains to make up time.

There are many unanswered questions than answered ones.  
(If I am not mistaken, if one driver jumps Red, the system should warn him first to reduce speed. If that warning is not heeded, then the system will take over and brake the train. Interestingly it did not happened and the operator was implying the blind spot theory).

[Hybrid]

VW cannot be blamed then for their evil deeds of cheating the system!
The programmer's should be sued for not blocking or restricting the access to change default systems without the approval of the Gov-nor of the railways!

I mean, big decisions involving the lives for hundreds cannot be placed in the hands of a single operator! Those who write policy / procedure manuals are fully aware of these instructions and risk management elementary restrictions.


Manslaughter charges should be filed against the operator's boss who gave the OK.

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

Agree !  
(This is why our jobs are stressful but paid well too).  

VW cannot be blamed then for their evil deeds of cheating the system!
The programmer's should be sued for not blocking or restricting the access to change default systems without the approval of the Gov-nor of the railways!

I mean, big decisions involving the lives for hundreds cannot be placed in the hands of a single operator! Those who write policy / procedure manuals are fully aware of these instructions and risk management elementary restrictions.
Manslaughter charges should be filed against the operator's boss who gave the OK.

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

Prosecutors say they believe the head-on train crash in southern Germany last week was caused by “human error” by the train dispatcher.

Eleven people died and scores were injured when two commuter trains slammed into each other on a single-line track near Bad Aibling, 60 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of Munich.

Chief prosecutor Wolfgang Giese says his office has opened a criminal investigation against the 39-year-old dispatcher.

Giese said at a news conference on Tuesday that according to investigators “had he (the dispatcher) behaved according to the rules the trains would not have collided.”

Read more

[Hybrid]

I had that urge to have a 'gut feeling 'that it was the risk element. Always is. I have had enough and more cases that I had to resolve in my line of duty.