What is the problem?
We’ve investigated too many accidents in which enhanced rail
compartment design could have improved the outcome, reducing
injuries and saving lives.
Rail passenger cars use a design philosophy called
compartmentalization, which features seats that are closely
spaced, high backed, well-padded, and designed to absorb energy
during an accident. However, compartmentalization may not protect
passengers during derailments and overturns.
In May 2015, an Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
after proceeding through a 50-mph turn
at 106 mph. Of the 245 passengers
on board, 8 were killed and 185 were
transported to nearby hospitals.
During the derailment, riders were
thrown around the passenger cars
and windows did not remain intact,
resulting in ejections, injuries, and
fatalities.
What can be done?
In February 2019, NTSB determined the following:
Current safety standards for locomotive cabs and rail passenger
cars are inadequate. Although some safety improvements have
been made to better protect occupants of rail passenger cars
from injury and death, as we saw in the Amtrak 188 accident,
more still needs to be done. To minimize deaths and injuries in
all modes of transportation, occupant protection systems need
to be better designed to preserve survivable space and ensure
ease of evacuation.
To address the problem of inadequate
occupant protection, the following actions
should be taken:
Regulators
- Require enhanced rail cab and car design to ensure better
occupant protection. When Amtrak 188 derailed, passenger
car windows became dislodged and some passengers were
ejected and killed. Additionally, when the cars overturned,
passengers were thrown from their seats and struck by loose
objects, resulting in severe injuries. Had the windows in Amtrak
188 remained in place, the ejected passengers would likely have
remained inside the train and survived.
- Evaluate the causes of passenger injuries in passenger railcar
derailments and overturns and evaluate potential methods for
mitigating injuries, such as installing seat belts in rail cars and
securing potential projectiles.
Industry
- Adopt existing voluntary standards that address
crashworthiness and strengthen occupant protection for train
passengers and crews. Protecting passengers and crews from
injury requires keeping railcar windows intact and maintaining
their structural integrity during an accident, and includes
occupant restraint systems, such as seat belts, to mitigate the
severity of passenger injuries. Incorporate design elements that
optimize crashworthiness and enhance ease of evacuation in an
emergency.
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