|
|
| Re: CALTRAIN Prepares for Electrification (918629) | |||
 |
|||
| Home > SubChat | |||
|
[ Read Responses | Post a New Response | Return to the Index ] |
|
||
|
Re: CALTRAIN Prepares for Electrification |
|
|
Posted by WillD on Tue Mar 30 14:37:07 2010, in response to Re: CALTRAIN Prepares for Electrification, posted by Jersey Mike on Tue Mar 30 08:12:11 2010. FRA crash rules aren't just about freight trains, they deal with the issue of grade crossings and other right of way incursions. It is FAR cheaper to add protection to the vehicles than to add protection to every grade crossing and every switch and who knows what else.And EN15227 provides grade crossing protection equal or superior to the FRA's requirements. Controllable deformability is far better for mitigating the effects of a grade crossing impact than high buff loading. An FRA compatible railcar will rapidly overcome the point where the buff loading will be exceeded, and at that point the deformation becomes totally unpredictable. This is most graphically illustrated in the recent Metrolink crashes where the FRA compatible cars, which will be non-deformable up to 20mph, deform in totally unpredictable and dangerous ways upon striking anything above that speed. A light weight European style EMU derailed into a rock cut in Australia and killed 20 people when the car was ripped apart. And a heavy, FRA compatible BBD Bilevel car hit a jeep on a grade crossing, jumped the track, was ripped open, and killed 25 people. The injuries per passenger mile on the "light weight" European systems are FAR lower than our heavyweight trains provide. Shit happens when you move and it's going to be that much more severe at higher speeds. It is foolishness to think we can prevent the deformation of the railcar at usable passenger speeds. Unless you want to restrict yourself to a 30mph railroad you're going to face the prospect of railcar deformation in a crash. Crash energy management provides the capability for the trainset to controllably deform and absorb an impact and in so doing reduce the demands on the nondeformable passenger cabin, but as yet the FRA has been extremely slow to adopt those elements. The Caltrain route will never be good for 125mph or probably even 100 because of the massive number of grade crossings and "downtown" running. There are a few separated sections that could see higher speeds, but much of the line is just one giant suburban grade crossing. The NIMBIES will never allow HSR even if California had the money to pay for it. The length of the Caltrain corridor will be almost entirely grade separated and quadruple tracked. The funding as currently allocated will allow for the minimal property acquisition required to reach 4 tracks and for extensive grade crossing separation and elimination. |
|
|
|