The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reconstructs a January 7, 2007 derailment of a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) train at Mt. Vernon Square station. Twenty-three passengers claimed injury. There has been considerable criticism of the NTSB conclusions from some WMATA personnel familiar with the accident.
NTSB makes 2 reasonable recommendations: guarded turnouts & wheel smoothing procedures after cutting the wheels, but dodges the underlying issue. All derailments have been 5000 series cars at low speed. They are inherently unstable (a seeming design flaw from trying to manufacture a lighter weight car) and leveling valves are being asked to do more than designed. The shifting weight causes these 5000 series wheels to climb. Until these cars are stabilized, derailments may remain a problem.
kreeggo 3 years ago