Quote:
Originally Posted by madmax
Are you sure the conducter could not see the first train? Trains don't exactly make sharp turns.
Even if the sensors were not working there still should not have been an accident. The trains are not totally automated and they have a driver in the train for that purpose.
At 55-60 mph and a 125 ft brake pattern, the driver did not apply the brakes until a second or two before impact.
If you are driving anything and you are going around a bend with a blind spot don't you slow down until you can see what is ahead of you?
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What makes you say that the trains aren't totally automated at that point? Yes, the drivers can advance the trains slightly after they get into the station and things like that, but while it is in Automatic mode the computer does the speedup and slow down between stations normally.
What makes you think that the train could be stopped from 55 MPH in 125 ft. A Semi can't be stopped in that distance and the Metro trains are heavier than that.
The Operators don't do any braking round the bends normally. In automatic operations, the train operators can sit on their hands from the moment that they get the doors closed until the train comes to a stop at the next station. About all the actually do in that mode is talk to the controllers and honk the horn.
Randy