1987 Maryland train collision
1987 rail transit disaster in Chase, Maryland, USA / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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On January 4, 1987, two trains collided on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor main line near Chase, Maryland, United States, at Gunpow Interlocking. Amtrak train 94, the Colonial, (now part of the Northeast Regional) traveling north from Washington, D.C., to Boston, crashed at over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) into a set of Conrail locomotives running light (without freight cars) which had fouled the mainline. Fourteen passengers on the Amtrak train died, as well as the Amtrak engineer and lounge car attendant.[1]
1987 Chase, Maryland train collision | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date | January 4, 1987; 37 years ago (1987-01-04) 1:30 PM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Chase, Maryland, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 39°22′35″N 76°21′25″W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line | Northeast Corridor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator | Amtrak Conrail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Incident type | Collision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cause | Engineer error, Noncompliance with stop Signal preventable by ATP/ATC and other safety measures | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Trains | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | 660 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deaths | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Injured | 164 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Conrail locomotive crew failed to stop at the signals before Gunpow Interlocking, and it was determined that the accident would have been avoided had they done so. Additionally, they tested positive for cannabis.[1] 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 this crash, the United States Congress took even broader action and authorized mandatory random drug-testing for all employees in "safety-sensitive" jobs in all industries regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) 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. Several safety issues were identified with Amfleet cars as well.[2]
At the time, the wreck was the deadliest in Amtrak's history. It was surpassed in 1993 by the Big Bayou Canot rail accident in Alabama where 47 died and another 103 were injured.[3]