Chase, Maryland Train Wreck Essay Example
The Chase, Maryland, train wreck occurred at 1:04 p.m. on January 4, 1987, on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor main line in Chase, Maryland, at Gunpow Interlocking, about 18 miles northeast of Baltimore. Amtrak Train 94, the Colonial, from Washington, D.C., to Boston, crashed into a set of Conrail locomotives running light which had fouled the mainline. Train 94's speed at the time of the collision was estimated at about 108 mph. Fourteen passengers on the Amtrak train were killed, as well as the Amtrak engineer and lounge car attendant.
Two members of the Conrail locomotive crew tested positive for marijuana, and the engineer served four years in a Maryland prison for his role in the crash. In the aftermath, drug and alcohol procedures for train crews were overhauled by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is charged with rail safety. In 1991, prompted in large part by the Chase Maryland crash, the US Congress took even broader action and authorized mandatory random drug-testing for all employees in "safety-sensitive" jobs in all industries regulated by the Federal Department of Transportation including trucking, bus carriers and rail systems. Additionally, all trains operating on the high-speed Northeast Corridor are now equipped with automatic cab signaling with an automatic train stop feature.
At the time, the Chase train wreck was Amtrak's deadliest crash ever. In 1993, however, the wreck at Big Bayou Canot in Alabama resulted in a much larger death toll.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Amtrak Train 94: pre-collision * 2 Conrail light engine move pre-collision * 3 The collision * 4 Post-collision response, cleanup * 5 Investigation, charges and conviction * 6 Changes for future prevention * 7 Memorial to a victim, reflection after 20 years * 8 References
[edit] Amtrak Train 94: pre-collision
Amtrak Train 94 (the Colonial) left Washington Union Station at 12:30 PM (Eastern time) for Boston South Station. The
Two members of the Conrail locomotive crew tested positive for marijuana, and the engineer served four years in a Maryland prison for his role in the crash. In the aftermath, drug and alcohol procedures for train crews were overhauled by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is charged with rail safety. In 1991, prompted in large part by the Chase Maryland crash, the US Congress took even broader action and authorized mandatory random drug-testing for all employees in "safety-sensitive" jobs in all industries regulated by the Federal Department of Transportation including trucking, bus carriers and rail systems. Additionally, all trains operating on the high-speed Northeast Corridor are now equipped with automatic cab signaling with an automatic train stop feature.
At the time, the Chase train wreck was Amtrak's deadliest crash ever. In 1993, however, the wreck at Big Bayou Canot in Alabama resulted in a much larger death toll.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Amtrak Train 94: pre-collision * 2 Conrail light engine move pre-collision * 3 The collision * 4 Post-collision response, cleanup * 5 Investigation, charges and conviction * 6 Changes for future prevention * 7 Memorial to a victim, reflection after 20 years * 8 References
[edit] Amtrak Train 94: pre-collision
Amtrak Train 94 (the Colonial) left Washington Union Station at 12:30 PM (Eastern time) for Boston South Station. The