1996 Maryland train collision
1996 Maryland train collision | |
---|---|
Details | |
Date | February 16, 1996 5:39 pm |
Location | Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
Coordinates | 39°00′03″N 77°02′32″W / 39.0008°N 77.0423°W |
Country | United States |
Operator | MARC Amtrak |
Incident type | Collision |
Cause | Signal passed at danger due to driver error of the MARC train, having forgotten to comply with the requirements of an approach signal. |
Statistics | |
Trains | 2 |
Passengers | 184 |
Deaths | 11 |
Injured | 26 |
On February 16, 1996, a
An investigation by the
The crash led to the creation of comprehensive federal rules for passenger car design, the first in the history of passenger service in the U.S.,[1] as well as changes to operating rules.
Accident
The
MARC No. 286 departed Brunswick at 4:30 p.m.
Amtrak No. 29, the Capitol Limited, departed Union Station at 5:25 pm, traveling westbound towards Chicago. That day the Amtrak train consisted of two diesel locomotives, an
The two tracks of the Metropolitan Subdivision are numbered 1 and 2. MARC No. 286 was on track 2, having made a
All three crew members aboard the MARC train were killed, along with eight passengers. Twenty-six people were injured. The collision destroyed both MARC passenger cars, the control car, and one of the two Amtrak locomotives, EMD F40PHR No. 255. The turnouts at Georgetown Junction were damaged and had to be replaced. The total property damage was estimated at $7.5 million.[3]: 7–8
Investigation
It was clear from the outset that MARC No. 286 had not complied with the speed restrictions of the approach signal and consequently overran the stop signal, making the crash inevitable.[4] The deaths of all three MARC crew members in the collision meant that the reason for the failure would remain unknown; in its report, NTSB ascribed it to "the apparent failure of the engineer and the train crew because of multiple distractions to operate MARC train 286."[3]: vii The focus of the investigators and the public shifted to safety systems that could have prevented the crash and the design of the commuter rail cars themselves.
One of the crew members and seven of the eight MARC passengers who died were killed not by the collision itself but by a fire that started when the exposed diesel fuel tanks on the Amtrak locomotive ruptured. Emergency responders were unable to open the doors of the lead passenger car. Passengers in other cars reported trying to break the window glass but being unable to do so.[5] The NTSB found the existing emergency egress standards for passenger cars were inadequate and recommended multiple changes, including:[3]: 74–75
- that passenger cars be required to have "quick release" mechanisms for exterior doors
- that passenger car windows be removable in the event of an emergency
- that emergency exits be marked with "luminescent or retroreflective material"
Before the NTSB issued its report, MARC had taken steps in that direction, including installing more emergency windows, improving door release mechanisms, and improving emergency signage.[6]
Much criticism focused on the role of human error in the collision; once the engineer had forgotten (or missed) the approach signal, there was no automatic system to prevent the collision.[7] The NTSB noted that had a positive train control system been in place on the Metropolitan Subdivision, the collision would have been less likely: the system would have detected MARC #286's unauthorized speed and stopped the train.[3]: 73 The NTSB also strongly criticized CSX and the Federal Transit Administration for the removal of a signal between Kensington and Georgetown Junction as part of capacity improvements on the Metropolitan Subdivision. The NTSB argued that having this signal after Kensington would have reduced the likelihood of the sort of human error that caused the crash, and in the NTSB's view, CSX and the FTA did not properly assess the effects of removing the signal.[3]: 53–63
Aftermath
Following the accident, the engineer and conductor of the Capitol Limited filed lawsuits against Amtrak, CSX, and the state of Maryland for $103 million (1996 USD) alleging negligence[needs update], singling out the removal of the signal between Kensington and Georgetown Junction and the operator error by the MARC engineer. Both men claimed that the injuries they sustained in the crash "prevent[ed] them from returning to work".[8] In 1999, responding to the crash, the Federal Railroad Administration issued comprehensive rules for passenger car design, "the first ...in the 169-year history of rail passenger service". The new rules required new control cars and multiple units to be built to higher crashworthiness standards.[1]
Several memorials were erected to commemorate the dead. In Silver Spring, a plaque was placed on a bridge above the crash site. In Brunswick, a stone is engraved with the names and pictures of the three CSX crew members. Private donations paid for the stone.[9] The eight passengers who died were all students at the Harpers Ferry Job Corps Center. Students there erected a memorial flanked by weeping cherry trees.[10]
See also
- 1987 Maryland train collision
- Rüsselsheim train disaster, a similar accident that occurred in West Germany in 1990
- List of rail accidents (1990–1999)
References
- ^ a b Phillips, Don; Sipress, Alan (May 11, 1999). "New Rules Set for Passenger Trains; U.S. Agency Aims to Reduce Damage in Accidents Like the Fiery 1996 MARC Crash". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
- ^ "Northern Region: Baltimore Division Timetable No. 4" (PDF). CSX Transportation. January 1, 2005.[dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Collision and Derailment of Maryland Rail Commuter MARC Train 286 and National Railroad Passenger Corporation Amtrak Train 29 Near Silver Spring, Maryland on February 16, 1996" (PDF). Railroad Accident Report. National Transportation Safety Board. July 3, 1997. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2014.
- ^ Phillips, Don (February 17, 1996). "Simple Switching Maneuver Somehow Went Badly Awry; Location of Crash Suggests MARC Train Ran Signal, but Question Is Why". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
- ^ Montgomery, David; Reid, Alice (February 20, 1996). "Eight of 11 Train Crash Victims Died of Fire, Not Crash Injuries". The Tech. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012.
- ^ "MARC Agency Promises Improved Safety by July". The Washington Post. May 23, 1996. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
- ^ Phillips, Don (February 20, 1996). "Crash Sharpens Focus on Train Control, Safety". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
- ^ Sarris, Marina (April 1, 1997). "Engineer, conductor file suits for $103 million in train crash". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
- ^ Gillis, Justin (September 22, 1996). "A Railroad Town Remembers and Mourns; Memorial to Victims of MARC Crash Dedicated in Brunswick, Md". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
- The Charleston Gazette. February 17, 2006. Archived from the originalon September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
External links
- Media related to 1996 Silver Spring, Maryland, train collision at Wikimedia Commons