Looks like Spanish train driver screwed the pooch big time

[ryoder 1,590]

190 KPH (118mph) in an 80 KPH (50mph) zone.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2377113/Spain-train-crash-video-At-78-people-killed-140-injured-Santiago-Compostela-derailment.html

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Deimian 43]

Don't blame the driver just yet. High speed trains should have automatic control and braking systems. In this case they obviously failed to operate as they should. There are lots of misguided information right now, so don't jump to conclusions blaming solely the driver. Probably he has his share of guilt, but it is absurd to have 100 km of straight line with speeds over 200 km/h, then a tunnel and right after the tunnel a turn with a limit of 80 km/h, without proper signalling and enforcement of the speed limits.

This kind of accidents, like in skydiving, are never the consecuence of a single wrong action, is a chain of events. Humans fail, if the only barrier between 78 deaths and a happy arrival in the station is a single guy then there is obviously something very wrong with the system.

Things that went wrong:
-The lack of ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) in that section of the line. This is a modern normative mandatory in the EU that controls automatically the speed of the train in the whole line.
-Failure of the ASFA (Automatic Announcement of Signals and Brakes), kind of precursor of ERTMS, implemented in the early 70s, for trains much slower. Most probably the system worked as advertised, but the distance at which the system triggered the alarm was not enough.
-Pushing the drivers to keep trains on time no matter what, with economic surpluses if they always make it on time.
-Designing of a rail track with a difficult turn right after 100 km of straight line.
-Lapse of concentration of the driver.
-Lapse of concentration of the driver assistant.

To make things worse the company that built the train line (ACS) has been pointed in the last weeks as one of the main contributors to illegal financing of the current government (both national and regional) in the last 20 years. The current president has been accused of receiving illegal money since the late 90s. Raises two questions:
-How capable was the company to build a safe rail system?
-If the "extra" money safely keep in some politicians pockets have been spent in implementing the ERTMS in that section, would these people be alive?

But then of course the driver will take all the blame. As it happened before.

[Arvoitus 1]

What do they need a driver for in a train anyway? To press the brakes when some idiots steps on to the tracks?

Your rights end where my feelings begin.

[riddler 0]

Quote

But then of course the driver will take all the blame. As it happened before.

The driver has already accepted the blame and stated that he wants to die Of course, that won't stop the media from skewering him. Already they have said he "seeks the thrill of going fast" because he posted a social media picture of the speedometer of the train. I call B.S. - that doesn't mean he's a speed-thrill-seeker. If I was driving a train and it was going that fast, I would take a pic, too, just because it's cool, not because I'm addicted to speed. This guy has 30+ years of experience operating trains. I doubt he would have gotten this far if he wasn't used to following the rules.

As far as what is in place, what the norms are, etc, well, it's Spain! Corruption in politics and government are the norm. Just because it's a high-speed train, and it's a good idea, or even a rule, to have automated speed reduction; that doesn't mean the Spanish government will do it. And just because those safety measures exist, that doesn't absolve the driver from responsibility (queue AAD discussion here). Machines exist to increase the safety of human operation, not to be relied on; they just aren't that good, yet.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[Zep 0]

"it's Spain! Corruption in politics and government are the norm"

There you go again jumping to conclusions. Just because the President takes backhanders and his right hand man is in jail
for corruption, We did have a honest politician once but ETA shot him, we also had a honest judge once but the government
sacked him (Juez Baltasar Garzon). Spain's number one football player (Messi) is getting done for tax evasion.

Second thoughts maybe you're not jumping to conclusions.

Oh, and the train driver, of coarse he was speeding Spanish trains don't run to the minute without taking some short cuts.
But don't worry the press and the corrupt politicians will still hang him out to dry.

Gone fishing

[ryoder 1,590]

Well, at least he didn't mention Operación Puerto.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Amazon 7]

Zep

"it's Spain! Corruption in politics and government are the norm"

There you go again jumping to conclusions. Just because the President takes backhanders and his right hand man is in jail
for corruption, We did have a honest politician once but ETA shot him, we also had a honest judge once but the government
sacked him (Juez Baltasar Garzon). Spain's number one football player (Messi) is getting done for tax evasion.

Second thoughts maybe you're not jumping to conclusions.

Oh, and the train driver, of coarse he was speeding Spanish trains don't run to the minute without taking some short cuts.
But don't worry the press and the corrupt politicians will still hang him out to dry.

Step one.... he has been arrested now.

[airtwardo 7]

Santiago de Compostela Is where the 'Camino Trail' that Capt. Mom and I walked last year, ends.

I have the friend that completed the walk there the day this happened...he said most everything in the city was shut down...

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Deimian 43]

That's my hometown (but I'm an expat now) and yes, pretty much everything has been shutdown, which is huge bearing in mind that this week are the local festivities, with tens of thousands of visitors. Sad days for us.

BTW: airtwardo, we have a small world, I didn't expect to find anybody in this forum that visited my city. I hope you enjoyed your time there, I think we have a beautiful and charming little city