It would be prohibitively expensive to prevent accidents whereby a car or other object ends up on the line and derails the train. The guy who fell asleep on the motorway caused an even worse accident. As for preventing someone who is determined to kill themselves, it can't be done. There are thousands of miles of track with thousands of crossing points, let alone places where a car could get to the track cross country.

A tragic accident, but nigh on impossible to prevent without making train travel either ridciulously expensive, or painfully slow.

 

I don't think there is much point debating the safety or otherwise of level crossings as this appears to have been a deliberate act.

Apparently a 'proffessional witness' in the form of an off duty policeman saw the car drive onto the crossing and wait while the barriers closed and the train approached.

If this was a suicide (as is being suggested) it was a particularly selfish one. If you want to top yourself then fine, it's your choice, but you don't take out an entire train, killing innocent people and injuring hundreds more. Not to mention the damage and cost to the infrastructure this has caused. The bloke (if it's true) must have been a right loser.

UB

 

If you are in that suicidal state I guess you may not think of the associated consequences; you should but you don't. At the risk of being flamed I still don't think that it would be that expensive to have a warning radio signal to oncoming train. And yes I know all the stuff about road/rail/air deaths and rail death is blown out of all proportion mostly by media and Prescott type "I will see this never happens again blah blah....." But there were 300 people on the train......... DL

 

The vast majority of it isn't fenced off at all. They have in recent years banked the earth up at the edge of the road to try and stop people driving off road to the cliff edge. The lastest addition are people patroling the cliff to try and talk people out of jumping...

 

I'm sure you're right that this sort of system may work for poeple who've broken down, but if someone is determined, they could get around the system by either driving down the track or finding a point of access to the track away from a crossing.

 

pmsl

 

Comparing train deaths with road deaths there's a lot more we could do to make our roads safer before we worry about the railways.

 

I guess everyone missed the documentary on BBC about the railways?

Rows of ten sleepers not secured leaving rails free to move up/down and side, rails so worn a train could easily slip off esp travelling 80mph, and worse the c*nts working the railways didnt even seem to care.

It makes me sick to think the Rail Network has to have a confidential phone line for concerned workers to report things, rather than taking it up with their supervisors who just dont want to know.

 

It wouldn't work, David, because the treadle that operates automatic barriers is placed INSIDE the minimum braking distance for the fastest trains to use the line

This, in turn, has to be the case on all but dedicated high speed only lines, as if it were placed, say, a mile out, the braking distance of a train travelling at 125mph, a slower freight train might take up to 2 minutes or more to reach the crossing. THAT'S when you get people becoming impatient, and trying to dodge round the barriers.

One of the worst accidents to happen in the UK at one of these crossings was at Hixon in the 60's, when a twin cab Pickfords trailer carrying an 80 ton transformer grounded on a crossing, and stuck fast, being hit by a southbound Manchester express about 30 seconds later!
Hence the notices at all unmanned crossings about large or slow vehicles.

Alcazar

 

Which has what do with this incident?

 

Nothing directly, just making a general point about the abysmal state(and state of mind) of our rail system

 

by the sound sof it, this was definately a suicide. When you are in the frame of mind, you don't think about the consequences of your actions - you just do it. I know, I've been there. You certainly do not think about other people, if things are so bad, you brain can only function with one thought - the thought that you want to die.

this does not mean that I don't care btw, and I agree with the earlier statement that any suicidal person should not take out others, but as I sais u don't think about that.

condolences to all families involved.

 

OK thanks for that. But say the high speed train receives an "alert" message about a mile or more out, before the treadle (which I assume is something the train crosses to initiate the barrier?), then at least he can slow down well before the treadle and then either speed up if signal clears or slam on the brakes (from a much slower speed) if signal remains on alert as he passes the treadle. The signal would be smart enough to only activate if it recognises an unusual blockage or problem. This should still avoid long waits at the barrier I would think. It would NOT help in the circumstances where a suicidal motorist drove around barrier at the last minute and parked in the middle but would have helped in the grounding example you gave. DL

 

Exactly! Nothing.

Chip.