Collision of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Train T-111 with Standing Train at Shady Grove Passenger Station, Gaithersburg, Maryland January 6, 1996
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PB96-916304 NTSB/RAR-96/04 NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 20594 RAILROAD ACCIDENT REPORT COLLISION OF WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY TRAIN T-111 WITH STANDING TRAIN AT SHADY GROVE PASSENGER STATION, GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND JANUARY 6, 1996 6676A Abstract: On January 6, 1996, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail subway train No. T-111 failed to come to a stop at the above-ground Shady Grove, Maryland, passenger station, the final station on the Metrorail Red Line. The four-car train ran by the station platform and continued about 470 feet into the Metrorail yard north of the station, where it struck a standing, unoccupied subway train that was awaiting assignment. The operator of train T-111 was fatally injured; the train’s two passengers were not injured. Total property damages were estimated to be between $2.1 and $2.6 million. The safety issues discussed in this report are adequacy and appropriateness of WMATA methods of management, decisionmaking, and communication; safety implications of the decision to eliminate routine manual train operation on the Metrorail system; effectiveness of using performance levels to control train speed;compatibility between railcar braking performance and design of the automatic train control system; and adequacy of WMATA and Montgomery County emergency response procedures. As a result of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board issued recommendations to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Federal Transit Administration, the American Public Transit Association, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Commission, and all jurisdictions providing primary and secondary response to Metrorail accidents or incidents. The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal agency dedicated to promoting aviation,railroad, highway, marine, pipeline, and hazardous materials safety. Established in 1967, the agency is mandated by Congress through the Independent Safety Board Act of 1974 to investigate transportation accidents, determine the probable causes of the accidents, issue safety recommendations,study transportation safety issues, and evaluate the safety effectiveness of government agencies involved in transportation. The Safety Board makes public its actions and decisions through accident reports, safety studies, special investigation reports, safety recommendations, and statistical reviews. Information about available publications may be obtained by contacting: National Transportation Safety Board Public Inquiries Section, RE-51 490 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20594 (202) 314-6551 Safety Board publications may be purchased, by individual copy or by subscription, from: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, Virginia 22161 (703) 487-4600 COLLISION OF WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY TRAIN T-1 11 WITH STANDING TRAIN AT SHADY GROVE PASSENGER STATION, GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND JANUARY 6, 1996 RAILROAD ACCIDENT REPORT Adopted: October 29,1996 Notation 6676A NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD Washington, D.C. 20594 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.........................................................................................................................v INVESTIGATION Synopsis ........................................................................................................................................................1 Pre-accident Events.......................................................................................................................................1 The Accident .................................................................................................................................................3 Injuries...........................................................................................................................................................7 Train Damage................................................................................................................................................7 Personnel Information.................................................................................................................................10 Train Operator.....................................................................................................................................10 OCC Radio Controller.........................................................................................................................11 OCC Button Controller .......................................................................................................................12 Train Information........................................................................................................................................12 Train T-111 .........................................................................................................................................12 Gap Train.............................................................................................................................................14 Site Description...........................................................................................................................................14 Operations Information ...............................................................................................................................14 Operations Control Center (OCC).......................................................................................................14 OCC Staffing.......................................................................................................................................16 Signal and Train Control Information.........................................................................................................16 Automatic Train Control.............................................................................................................................16 Train-Wayside Communication (TWC)..............................................................................................17 Performance Levels.............................................................................................................................17 Railcar Braking System...............................................................................................................................18 Wheel Flats and Tests of the Slip/Slide System .........................................................................................20 Meteorological Information ........................................................................................................................23 Medical and Pathological Information........................................................................................................23 Wreckage.....................................................................................................................................................24 Emergency Response ..................................................................................................................................24 Communications Between OCC and Rescue Personnel .....................................................................29 Training ...............................................................................................................................................29 Third Rail Schematic Availability.......................................................................................................29 Warning Strobe and Alarm Devices....................................................................................................30 Accident Site Configuration/Control of Third Rail Power .................................................................30 Tests and Research......................................................................................................................................30 Sight Distance Tests............................................................................................................................30 Signal System and Speed Command Tests .........................................................................................30 Brake Equipment Tests .......................................................................................................................32 Train Stopping Distance Tests ............................................................................................................32 Gap Train Light Bulb Tests.................................................................................................................33 Train T-111 Inspection Test for Wheel Flats......................................................................................34 Other Information........................................................................................................................................34 Oversight of Metrorail.........................................................................................................................34 Management and Organizational Factors............................................................................................35 Manual Versus Automatic Operation on the Metrorail System..........................................................35 Maximum Authorized Speed (MAS) ..................................................................................................37 iii Station/Platform