Amtrak train 353 hits school bus

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Amtrak train 353 hit a school Bus only the driver was onboard this happened oustside of DET MI.

News Story :angry:

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Well we can all be thankful that atleast it was only the Driver on that bus.

 

[tp49]

If the accounts from the article are correct that takes some talent to crash through the gates and hit the train. Probably either mechanical or stupidity and if the latter I hope that driver gets terminated from their employment.

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Here is the update on what happend with this accident a CN employee saw this happen.

Oakland Press

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

The engineer has not returned to work yet.

 

[tp49]

What kind of time off do they generally give to a crew involved in an incident like this, and should some kind of legal issue arise on their end does the union have representation for them or do they have to pay for counsel out of pocket?

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

What kind of time off do they generally give to a crew involved in an incident like this, and should some kind of legal issue arise on their end does the union have representation for them or do they have to pay for counsel out of pocket?

It's all paid leave if we hit someone right at the scene we can ask to be relived of duty and get help.

 

[MichiganFoamer]

This accident had a trickle-down effect on subsequesnt Michigan Service trains as well. Got the following blurb today:

The Wolverine, Train 350 (19JAN) with AMTK 37 and 3 cars terminated at

Dearborn on account of no cab car [coach with engineer's controls like a

subway car on the opposite end of the train] on the tail end of the train;

the assigned cab car was B/O [bad ordered] at Chicago and there is no

reserve since one was damaged in a grade crossing collision with a school

bus.

Without a cab car, train cannot reverse direction [no place (wye track) to

turn the train around] beyond West Detroit and thus cannot serve Detroit and onward points [i.e. Royal Oak, Birmingham and Pontiac]. 55 passengers bussed. Equipment was turned to become the Twilight Limited, Train 355, which was cancelled Pontiac-Dearborn with 3 passengers bussed.

 

[battalion51]

In a situation like that where there's no cab car available, why don't they just go Vermonter style with an engine on each end? Sometimes these decisions that Amtrak makes make no sense at all.

 

[MichiganFoamer]

The 350-series trains are often seen sporting a Genesis on each end, unless of course the extra power is needed elsewhere on the system. Actually, I've been seeing this practice more often than the cabbages lately

Why they don't invest in a handful of European-style double-cab diesels for these short hauls is beyond me. I also would like to see the deveopment of a new-type RDC as I saw discussed on an old thread here several months ago. I could easily see those being put into service on the 350s!

Don

 

[AlanB]

Why they don't invest in a handful of European-style double-cab diesels for these short hauls is beyond me.  I also would like to see the deveopment of a new-type RDC as I saw discussed on an old thread here several months ago. I could easily see those being put into service on the 350s!
Don

Actually acquiring some RDC's for some of the services out of Chicago is part of David Gunn's master plan, although it was a few years down the road before they were to be brought.

Now that the master plan already has a 600 Million dollar whole in it, since Congress didn't give David the funding that he asked for (although I'm thankful that they gave him more than the President asked for), it's anyone's guess as to how far back this has pushed buying RDC's.