Metro-North Engineer Was Dozing Just Before Train Derailment, Sources Say

[brooklynite]

Source: DNA.info

MANHATTAN — Investigators believe the motorman at the controls in the deadly Metro-North Railroad derailment in the Bronx Sunday dozed off for a few fateful moments and woke up too late to stop the speeding train from hurtling off the tracks, DNAinfo New York has learned.

Veteran engineer William Rockefeller all but admitted he was falling asleep as the train came roaring to a curved section of track north of Spuyten Duyvil in statements made shortly after four people were killed and dozens were injured in the wreck, sources said.

He apparently woke up just as the train, traveling at 82 mph, was heading into a precarious curve that called for the train's speed to be reduced to just 30 mph.

As the train entered the curve, sources said, Rockefeller was jolted from his sleep and hit the brake, but not in time. The cars derailed, and several careened onto their sides before grinding to a halt on the edge of the Harlem River. Four people were killed, three of whom were thrown out of the cars, and more than 60 others were injured.

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131203/spuyten-duyvil/metro-north-train-driver-dozed-off-before-crash-sources-say

---

I have inside sources that tell me the same thing.

[sakabatou]

1. *facepalm*

[rickyhall]

4. Ever heard of co-pilots

I think co-pilots needed for high speed trains. Let the jobcutters go and they'd take co-pilots out of planes. MOST of the time they're redundant anyway.

[pangaia]

5. Not a bad idea. although that is not exactly a 'high speed' train.

However, 'co-pilots' (first officers) in commercial aircraft are anything but redundant.
Also, the 'job cutters,' by which I assume you mean airline management, have almost nothing to say about it. The requirement for 2 pilots in most commercial aircraft comes from the aircraft manufacturer, design of the aircraft and the FAA.

[LeftinOH]

2. That train crash in Spain back in July also happened on a curve, going at

excessive speed. Engineer wasn't sleeping, but still.. 100% human error.

[oberliner]

3. Inside sources?

What do you mean by that?

[darkangel218]

8. Oh gawd..

[oberliner]

13. I don't understand

I am asking what was meant by "inside sources" - like was it people on the train or someone associated with the MTA or what?

[Wilms]

19. It's impolite to ask.

You're merely supposed to be impressed.

[srican69]

22. DUZY ... but give the OP some credit ..(s)he might know someone with access to the blackbox

[brooklynite]

27. No, just respect the authenticity of the report...

Without revealing too much, I work in the mass transit industry in NYC. Without validation, DNAinfo.com might not be considered a reliable source.

[jsr]

6. Damn.

[onehandle]

7. Anti-public services types are loving this. Did defunding training/personnel lead to the accident?

Anti-transportation piles of crap like Christie and other GOPers should be investigated as well.

[BeyondGeography]

9. He lives way upstate and the train left Poughkeepsie at 5:54 a.m.

Probably had a 4 a.m. wake-up to make it from Germantown after a Saturday night. I suppose we'll hear what went on the night before but even if he was a choir boy fatigue happens.

[Blue_Tires]

25. I'm reminded of the tragedy in Russia

where a ground controller fell asleep on an early morning shift and allowed an airliner to crash by landing on a closed runway...

Sadly, the controller's wife just had newborn twins and there had been a few consecutive nights of little or no sleep...He later killed himself in prison, iirc....

[gussmith]

36. Invoking Responsibility

Yes, fatigue happens but it can not be allowed to happen behind the wheel.

[tblue37]

10. It might be 100% his fault. On the other hand, we know that

airplane pilots have work schedules that guarantee they will often be exhausted when flying, so I would be interested to know whether his fatigue was a result of his own failure to make sure he got sufficient sleep before accepting responsibility for the lives of a train full of passengers, or whether his schedule is part of the underlying cause.

Many workers in many jobs are always fatigued because of excessive demands from their jobs, or else because inadequate pay forces them to hold down multiple jobs, sometime leading to excessive hours of work, but sometimes just leading to a sleep schedule so erratic that the worker is continually jetlagged.

I am often so tired from overwork that I drop into "microsleeps." That is what sleep researchers call short dozing periods that occur when sleep deprivation reaches a point where the body just shuts down for a moment or a few moments. The individual often doesn't even know he or she has been dozing.

Just last week I was going over a rough draft of an essay with a student during a conference. I had been marking things on the draft with my red pen when suddenly I jolted awake, pen still touching the paper, with no knowledge of how long I had been asleep!

I asked the student why he hadn't awakened me as soon as he realized I had dozed off. He said he didn't realize that I was asleep. He thought I had found something really wrong in his writing and was puzzling over it, either in horror at how awful it was or in hopeless despair over finding any way to help him improve it.

He told me I had been sitting there with my pen touching his paper, apparently just staring at it, for about 90 seconds or maybe even 2 minutes. Imagine if I had been driving a train or a car, or if I had been operating dangerous machinery!

ON EDIT: His job is unionized, so it is possible that his pay and schedule are not terrible. On the other hand, nowadays, since many unions no longer have enough bargaining leverage in contract negotiations with emploers, even unionized workers are often getting forced to accept contracts that increase hours, scramble schedules, or otherwise make fatigue issues more likely.

[hedgehog]

17. I agree 100%!

I recall reading that sometimes train crews are called out, then end up sitting in the yard, ready to go, for 12 hours. The railroads are upset when the crew, having met maximum hours on the job, leaves and is replaced by a new crew.

[freshwest]

38. Agreed. I have microsleeps at home sitting down, too. I'm sure he didn't decide to take a nap...

Chance are that he'll lose that position and or be retired. He has a health problem that may or may not be cureable. Whether he should be punished is up to others, we can't say he neglected the condition that lived up to this. We don't know what it is.

And I'm sure that this grieves him a great deal. He'll never be the same since he failed in his responsiblity to those passengers.

[darkangel218]

11. There should always be at least two people conducting a train.

Especially one carrying people.

FFS!!

[denverbill]

12. Yes, no shit. What if he had a heart attack or other medical condition?

In this case he may have dozed off, but when people's lives are at stake you put backups in place.

If not a 2nd engineer, why aren't there sensors on the train to automatically control speeds? Or monitors that could show if the engineer was incapacitated?

[BlueJazz]

14. "why aren't there sensors on the train to automatically control speeds"

Yep...I was just going to bring that up.
There's absolutely no excuse why.(in these times) that sensors are not at certain dangerous curves.

As an Electrical Engineer, it would be a piece of cake to install.
Pisses me off royally!

[zonkers]

30. Some aspects of NYC and its infra structure are truly from the dark ages. From sewer

systems to subway platforms. I can't explain it. So many shortcuts and safety issues. Bureacracy and politics has a lot to do with it.

[Historic NY]

31. This isn't the city its a state run Authority...MTA or Metro-North

as a state run authority it also runs the Transit System in NY City and Long Island RR....in fact its the second largest commuter railroad in the US.

[Old and In the Way]

28. With GPS technology, that would be a no-brainer.

No good justification not to have this implemented, IMHO...especially since headcount reductions seem to be the only option companies pursue with vigor. The tragedy at Lac Magentic might have been avoided had there been a 2nd set of eyes involved with secxuring that train.

[Xithras]

32. In the U.S. most trains do have an "alerter" to automatically stop the train in an emergency.

Basically, if none of the controls have been touched for a certain period of time (usually randomized), a buzzer goes off and the engineer is required to press a button to disable the noise. If the button isn't pressed within a few seconds, the brakes apply and automatically bring the train to a stop.

The alerter has been standard equipment on locomotives since the mid 90's, but there are no laws requiring that older trains be retrofitted with alerter systems, and there are still a lot of older commuter trains that don't have them.

First off, there's no reason at all why they shouldn't be mandated for ALL trains in the U.S. at this point. Secondly, with modern GPS systems, it would be TRIVIAL to update the existing alerters to also monitor the trains speed and position. If the train is moving too fast, just set off the buzzer. If the engineer doesn't push the button, the alerter can stop the train on its own.

[Lasher]

41. This one had a dead man's switch

An MTA union official informed PIX11 that the dead man’s switch, in this particular diesel train, is located on the floor of the locomotive, not at the controls, and thus would not have detected that the engineer potentially falling asleep at the controls.

The locomotive is never manned when in it is in the push configuration, sources told PIX11. The engineer is in charge and their in no co-pilot.

http://pix11.com/2013/12/03/engineer-likely-fell-asleep-at-controls-of-derailed-metro-north-train-sources/#axzz2mWKT3fyL

I believe the dead man's switch works kinda like a gas pedal on a car, which backs off the throttle when your foot is removed.

I'm not sure about the push configuration but I think this means when a locomotive is used at the rear of a train for auxiliary power, it is controlled remotely with no one in it.

[DLnyc]

39. Yes, this is a key question.

An article, unfortunately in Spanish:
http://www.eldiariony.com/tragedia_metro_north_bronx_tecnologia

YONKERS, Nueva York, EE.UU. — Ante la revelación hecha por expertos ayer, de que el tren de pasajeros de Metro-North se descarriló en El Bronx mientras entraba a una curva pronunciada a tres veces la velocidad permitida, han surgido interrogantes sobre si la tecnología hubiese podido haber evitado la tragedia.
Las autoridades de seguridad han defendido lo que se conoce como tecnología de control positivo desde hace decenios, pero la industria de los ferrocarriles ha tratado de posponer su instalación debido al alto costo y asuntos tecnológicos.
Los investigadores no han determinado todavía si el accidente, en que perecieron cuatro personas y más de 60 quedaron heridas, fue el resultado de un error humano o una falla mecánica. Pero algunos expertos en seguridad dijeron que la tragedia quizás se hubiera evitado si el Ferrocarril Metro-North hubiera implementado esa tecnología. . . .

Which I will attempt to translate as:

In light of the revelation by experts yesterday, that the Metro-North passenger train derailed in the Bronx as it was entering a sharp curve at three times the permitted velocity, questions have come up as to whether technology could have been capable of preventing the tragedy.
Safety experts have defended (advocated?) so-called positive control technology for decades, but the railroad industry has tried to postpone its installation due to high costs and technological issues(?).
Investigators still have not determined whether the accident, in which 4 people died and more than 60 were injured, was the result of human error or a mechanical failure. But some safety experts said the tragedy might have been avoided if Metro-North Railroad had implemented the technology. . . .

Another article earlier today, which I will try to find, said that the industry has tried to postpone a deadline for this technology from the end of 2015 to five or six years later. But MetroNorth is apparently in the process of trying to meet the deadline.

On edit: found better quote on industry delay:

http://www.diariolasamericas.com/eeuu/investigan-causas-descarrilamiento-tren-ny.html

. . . Una ley aprobada por el Congreso en 2008 dio a los ferrocarriles de pasajeros y carga hasta finales de 2015 para instalar los sistemas, conocidos como control positivo de trenes (PTC). El sistema tiene por fin evitar el error humano, que es la causa de aproximadamente 40% de los accidentes de trenes. Pero los sistemas son costosos y complejos, y los ferrocarriles están tratando de demorar la fecha tope otros cinco o siete años. Metro-North está en proceso de instalar la tecnología. . . .

Which I think means something like:

. . . A law approved by Congress in 2008 gave passenger and freight railroads until the end of 2015 to install the systems, known as positive train control (PTC). The purpose of the system is to avoid human error, which is the cause of approximately 40% of train accidents. But the systems are costly and complex, and the railroads are trying to delay the {deadline?} date another five or six years. MetroNorth is in the process of installing the technology. . . .

[ladjf]

21. Two people and a computer back up. nt

[woodsprite]

26. Brother works for the railroad, and said they are doing away with the 2nd

person on Engineer crews (brakeman?). They are also doing away with his job (car inspector & scheduler). He's been told that he has about 2 yrs left before they switch over to doing everything by computer. If we need anything or there is a problem with switching tracks, equipment malfunction, then the closest offices to service the old Chrysler/Newark, DE yard will be Harrisburg, PA or Harrington, DE. Third is Atlanta, GA.

Scary stuff since he works on tracks that parallel the commuter line/train station and those tracks carry hazardous materials. It doesn't make me feel real safe living and working only 1 mile from them.

[TwilightGardener]

29. Some jobs still have brakemen, usually when there's a need for switching out a lot of cars,

loading or unloading, that sort of thing. But the bigger crews of the past have been long gone. Now it's a fight to make sure there's still two: engineer and conductor. And speaking as one who's married to a conductor, you really want two people in that engine. They catch each other's mistakes and keep each other awake, and there are times when two people are absolutely essential--like when something goes wrong (air hoses or couplers disconnect, for example) and the end of that freight train is literally a mile's walk or more away.

[AllyCat]

15. Horrible and the sleeping employee is directly to blame. However,

if we had new technologies installed that improve safety, this might have been avoided. Had we not cut funding for public transit/mass transit...maybe this employee would have had someone with him? Additional training? Not been working long hours that caused him to be so tired he fell asleep at the switch?

And how about trains that are modern with updated tracks and layouts that might have allowed a little more room for error?

[BlueJazz]

16. What needs to happen is: From now on, when people buy their ticket to ride a train, ....

....before the train starts, someone from the railroad should give a short speech like:

"Hi, My name is Barbie...there's only one operator on this train, so if He or She has a stroke or a heart attack or becomes incapacitated,
all of you are pretty much fucked. Have a nice Day !!!

[AngryAmish]

18. Why is this job not largely automated?

Sure have a gal there to make sure the computer is behaving but jeez, it is just hit the gas, hit the brake. Not like the train is going to get lost or need to change lanes.

[Indydem]

24. As much as I hate to say it - Union Politics.

Unions are afraid that implementation of automation will lead to a reduction in engineers, and they fight it at every turn.

[progree]

20. In related news: Half of British pilots admit to falling asleep in cockpit - survey

Half of British pilots admit to falling asleep in cockpit - survey, Oct 8, 2013
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/08/oukoe-uk-britain-pilots-sleep-idUKBRE98Q0L620131008

According to the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA), 56 percent of 500 commercial pilots admitted to being asleep while on the flight deck and, of those, nearly one in three said they had woken up to find their co-pilot also asleep.

[valerief]

35. Jesus H. nt

[Hosnon]

23. Is there no auto-pilot-like system for trains?

It doesn't seem like it would take much technological know-how to make sure trains reduce to certain speeds on certain portions of the track.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

37. There should at least be a dead-man switch, like on a power lawn mower.

[BumRushDaShow]

33. What happened to the deadman's switch?

It used to be that the lever that is moved to adjust the speed forward/reverse (by being moved to either side of the circular mount) had to be depressed forward while in operation or the train would slow to a stop, unless this train had this function as a pedal?

[Lasher]

42. The dead man's switch was on the floor.

So I think that means it was a pedal.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014662215#post41

[valerief]

34. Just like Congress. There's no one at the wheel. nt

[ladjf]

40. The train only has two major controls, throttle and brakes.

An i-phone app could easily control throttle settings based on the gps location of the train, applying brakes if needed.

Or, if the company wanted to expand that control, a larger server at the home location could simultaneously monitor and control the speeds of every moving train on the Eastern Seaboard.

There should still be an active engineer on board, with the computer monitoring serving as his backup.