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UPDATE: City officials are sticking to seven confirmed dead, despite earlier news reports that nine people died. The two additional reported deaths may or may not have been due to confusion about the two critical patients -- we'll continue to monitor reports.
Nine Seven people have now been confirmed dead in yesterday's devastating Red Line collision at Fort Totten, and rescue efforts were still ongoing Tuesday morning - meaning it's still possible the death toll could rise. At least 70 people were injured in the crash.
The only victim who has been identified so far is Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, who was the Metrorail operator of the train that struck the other one from the rear.
NTSB spokesperson Debbie Hersman made the rounds of all the local broadcast outlets early this morning. She said virtually the same thing during each appearance: the NTSB, FBI, and Metrorail investigators are working on determining the cause of the crash, but they still have no answers to offer. Hersman also said the NTSB is attempting to locate any data recorders that might have been on the trains. "Older trains do not have good recording devices, but some of the newer trains do, so it's possible that we might find some recording devices," she told WTOP.
WJLA quotes Metro General Manager John Catoe saying that an automated computer system used to run trains was supposed to keep these two trains apart, but it was not clear whether the system was in use when the crash occurred.
The Washington Post writes that "even if the signal system failed to stop the train, the operator should have intervened and applied emergency brakes, safety experts familiar with Metro's operations say." City Desk makes the point that concerns about the relative safety of operating older, 1000-series Metrorail cars (like the lead car in the rear train in yesterday's crash) alongside newer, 5000-series cars (like the tail end car of the train that was in front) have been around for years.
Part of the Red Line is still closed this morning. Those who attempt to ride the Red Line on the sections where it is operating (between Glenmont and Silver Spring and between Shady Grove and Rhode Island Ave.) are being advised to add one hour to their commutes. Shuttle buses are operating between Silver Spring and Rhode Island Avenue, though Metro warns that the shuttle buses are going to be crowded. All other Metrorail lines are also affected by delays this morning, as the entire system will be operating in manual mode today.
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is set to begin a press conference at 8 a.m. to update the public.
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It's so sad. My heart aches for those who lost their lives and their families. :(
So NTSB says:
“The failure of the carbody (underframe) end structure of the 1000-series Metrorail cars may make them susceptible to telescoping and potentially subject to a catastrophic compromise of the occupant survival space” and “The failure to have minimum crashworthiness standards for preventing telescoping of rail transit cars in collisions places an unnecessary risk on passengers and crew.”
If the 1000-series were an airplane, the NTSB would have grounded them. And yet according to Catoe, "“I have no basis to suspend the use of 1000-series cars at this time.”
What basis do you need, Mr. Cantoe? A couple more telescoping Metrorail crashes?
Regarding Monkey's comments:
City Paper Article: Old Questions About Crashworthiness of Metro Cars
what's up with the conflicting death toll (Fenty says 7)? One would think getting that number straight would be a priority for officials.
I guess what I find most disturbing* about this accident is the lack of meaningful real-time information from Metro. I realize we talk about this all the time, but it seems time after time, we sit in rail cars, or stand on platforms, or get ready to leave the office, and Metro refuses to give enough information to allow for decisions by their customers.
I feel for those directly or indirectly affected by yesterday's accident, and don't want to take away from the efforts by the Fire, Police, and other public safety personnel who responded, but are the persons responsible for updating platform signs, Twitter, and the Metro Web site too busy to let us know what is happening.
I've heard excuses that telling people what is happening will cause them to panic, but I can't buy that argument.
* Most disturbing in the manor of related elements of this tragic story.
The really amazing thing to me was that they apparently wouldn't even share such information with their own employees who are working elsewhere in the Metro system. I found out about the accident just as I was boarding the B30 bus at BWI. So I asked the driver if he knew what was going on and if the Green Line would be delayed as well. He said he had no more info than I did, and that Metro wouldn't tell them anything until they get off shift because they think drivers would be too worried about their colleagues to focus on doing their own jobs. Right. Because having NO info whatsoever is obviously so much more relaxing!
Wow!
That is crazy! Your final sentence is spot on.
The relationship between WMATA and its riders is that of a benevolent dictator and serfs. You are not a customer, you are cargo. From its unwieldy website that relys far too heavily on Acrobat files, to its reluctance to allow Google to access its transit data, to its penchant to leave riders in the dark, Metro has become the archetypal retarded-monkey-with-a-violin. Sure, it sounds pretty awful, and none of what it's making can be described as music, but it's a wonder that it can play anything at all.
The rescue teams did a swift and excellent job.
Above-ground in broad daylight on a clear, sunny day...I fear that we're going to find out that the operator was texting or otherwise not paying attention.
I agree with most of what you all are saying about Metro's inability (or unwillingness) to relay information. Withholding of information does not lead to a trusting relationship. If there is a derailment or an accident (especially after yesterday), Metro should let its customers know immediately.
Although an accident like this is completely unacceptable, Metro's safety record seems pretty good, at least in terms of on-board accidental passenger fatalities (the last one was in '82). It's almost surprising that a system as big and as utilized as this hasn't had more big issues. Considering these factors, and Metro's budget woes, I don't envy Metro's managers.
And speaking of scary Metro experiences, has anyone else ridden the orange line out towards New Carrolton? I rode it a few months ago, on a portion of elevated tracks, and the Metro went over a bump that made it feel like the train was getting airborne. It seriously felt like a rollercoaster. I don't know if that was a unique incident (it certainly was in my Metro-riding experience which is limited to downtown rides several times a week), but it felt like a serious accident waiting to happen.
The blue line near Arlington Cemetery has also shaken back and forth as well as up and down the last couple times I rode it. It definitely felt like it could have flown right off the tracks. Pitch and roll are for planes, not trains.