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VIA Rail

lenaitch said:
It seems there won't be any service between Toronto and Montreal for a while:

ottawa.ctvnews.ca

One person injured in Prescott, Ont. freight train collision

Ontario Provincial Police say one person was treated for minor injuries after two freight trains collided in Prescott, Ont. Thursday morning, causing 16 rail cars to leave the tracks. The cause of the collision is under investigation.
ottawa.ctvnews.ca ottawa.ctvnews.ca
Click to expand...

I gather that at least train #62 today was diverted via Ottawa.
 
lenaitch said:
It seems there won't be any service between Toronto and Montreal for a while:

ottawa.ctvnews.ca

One person injured in Prescott, Ont. freight train collision

Ontario Provincial Police say one person was treated for minor injuries after two freight trains collided in Prescott, Ont. Thursday morning, causing 16 rail cars to leave the tracks. The cause of the collision is under investigation.
ottawa.ctvnews.ca ottawa.ctvnews.ca
Click to expand...

A couple of images from the above link:

1630617398543.png

Taken from: https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/...e.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_960/image.png

1630617474860.png

Taken from video here: https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2271283
 
lenaitch said:
Because no system made by humans is infallible.
Click to expand...

While that is certainly true; I'd venture to say we can make systems that are a great deal less fallible than the one's we have (see PTC for a start); and we really ought to get around to using them.

This is true in many more fields than railways.

If we ran the world in accordance with existing best practices/technology, we could drastically cut disease, medical errors, traffic accidents, railway accidents, pollution, poverty, do all of that and more, for, in most cases the same or less in operating dollars once the changes are fully delivered (its the one-time cost of change that is the most common impediment)
 
Last edited:
Northern Light said:
While that is certainly true; I'd venture to say we can make systems that are a great deal less fallible than the one's we have (see PTC for a start); and we really ought to get around to using them.

This is true in many more fields than railways.

If we ran the world in accordance with existing best practices/technology, we could drastically cut disease, medical errors, traffic accidents, railway accidents, pollution, poverty, do all of that and more, for, in most cases the same or less in operating dollars once the changes are fully delivered (its the one-time cost of change that is the most common impediment)
Click to expand...
globalnews.ca

Two cargo trains crash, causing derailment in Prescott, Ont. | Watch News Videos Online

Watch Two cargo trains crash, causing derailment in Prescott, Ont. Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca
globalnews.ca globalnews.ca

Is the Kingston Sub closed? Are they routing Montreal trains through Ottawa?
 
lrt's friend said:
How in the world does a collision like this happen in this day and age?
Click to expand...
lenaitch said:
Because no system made by humans is infallible.
Click to expand...
Because North America's rail safety culture is focussed on crash mitigation (hence the over-reliance on crashworthiness standards), whereas in Europe and Asia, the focus is on crash avoidance (with an almost universal application of automatic train protection signalling systems)...
 
Urban Sky said:
Because North America's rail safety culture is focussed on crash mitigation (hence the over-reliance on crashworthiness standards), whereas in Europe and Asia, the focus is on crash avoidance (with an almost universal application of automatic train protection signalling systems)...
Click to expand...
Looks like both tracks on the main line are destroyed.

www.recorder.ca

Both tracks back in service after Prescott derailment

PRESCOTT – Crews remained at the scene of a train derailment here on Sunday.
www.recorder.ca www.recorder.ca
 
Urban Sky said:
Because North America's rail safety culture is focussed on crash mitigation (hence the over-reliance on crashworthiness standards), whereas in Europe and Asia, the focus is on crash avoidance (with an almost universal application of automatic train protection signalling systems)...
Click to expand...

The thing is there is value in doing both. You can never underestimate the ability of idiots to find a way around idiot proof systems, and other factors can come into play that will create situations that are nearly impossible to avoid. Having said that, it is always best to avoid the incident in the first place if at all possible.

The fact that the crew on both trains survived with only 1 person suffering minor injuries is certainly amazing.
 
roger1818 said:
The thing is there is value in doing both. You can never underestimate the ability of idiots to find a way around idiot proof systems, and other factors can come into play that will create situations that are nearly impossible to avoid. Having said that, it is always best to avoid the incident in the first place if at all possible.

The fact that the crew on both trains survived with only 1 person suffering minor injuries is certainly amazing.
Click to expand...
Looks like there is a siding there, so either that train disobeyed the signal or the train on the main misses the red signal.
 
Bordercollie said:
Looks like there is a siding there, so either that train disobeyed the signal or the train on the main misses the red signal.
Click to expand...
The list of possible rood causes are a bit more complicated than that, and since we spectators aren’t the investigators we should not be speculating, and most certainly not alleging error by either crew.

- Paul
 
Bordercollie said:
Is the Kingston Sub closed? Are they routing Montreal trains through Ottawa?
Click to expand...
I see that VIA is diverting via Ottawa, but what is CN doing with its trains? Running via CP? Or are they also clogging up the single-track line through Ottawa?
 
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