USMC Expresses Condolences to those Lost in the Crash
The U.S. Maglev Coalition would like to extend its condolences to the families, relatives and colleagues of those who perished in the crash of a Maglev train at the Transrapid test facility on Friday, September 22nd. News of the crash shocked all of us at the Coalition as Maglev is the safest method of high-speed transportation technology, however it appears this has been an unfortunate issue of human error.
We would like to take this opportunity to provide a brief update on the facts surrounding the crash. There have been many media articles published concerning the crash, a small grouping of which are posted in our online news section. We suggest you scan these articles to get a feel for the scope of the accident and the range of activities underway to move forward in Germany and elsewhere in its aftermath.
Here are a few things we now know about this tragedy:
- Somehow, a maintenance vehicle, stationary on the guideway and carrying two workers, was hit from behind by a three-section TR08 vehicle carrying 29 passengers traveling at about 110 miles per hour.
- Twenty-three people are known to have perished, including two American citizens. The workers aboard the maintenance vehicle apparently survived.
- The first section of the vehicle was almost completely destroyed while the trailing two sections appear to have survived intact.
- The TR08 vehicle stayed on the track, fulfilling the promise of its being difficult to derail, and there was no subsequent explosion or fire.
- There apparently were no sensors on the guideway to alert control personnel that the guideway was not clear. Instead voice communication has been utilized. Commercial operations do apparently utilize sensors for warning operating personnel.
- The facility operator, IABG, posted a statement on its website, later confirmed in other reports, saying the cause was attributable to 'human error.'
- A formal investigation is underway that should be complete in six to eight weeks.
- There is a memorial service to be held today at the St. Vitus Catholic Church in Lathen. The Coalition has already sent its condolences and a flower arrangement for this event.
- The long-term effects to come from this incident are still evolving, but we should call for calm deliberation to root out the causes of the crash and pave a path for the future.
We stand with those who look to the future and to better days ahead as we learn from the experience and institute measures to prevent something similar from ever happening again.
L. Joe Ferguson
Chairman, USMC
###
|
