Ernest H. Robl Wrote:
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> The thing that struck me was the government
> officials saying that the person(s) responsible
> would be found and punished -- rather than
> emphasizing finding the cause and trying to ensure
> this does not happen again in the future.
>
> All railroad safety systems need some type of
> manual override, in case of failure of the system
> -- though we don't know if this was involved here.
> Such a manual override (including verbal
> authority from a dispatcher to pass a stop signal)
> should be used only in specified circumstances --
> and following specific safety protocols.
>
> A few years ago, there was an incident on a
> single-track German branch line where two EMUs
> collide head-on on a blind curve, with substantial
> casualties. Investigation showed that when when
> the local dispatcher tried to clear a signal for
> the departure of one of the trains, the signal
> would not clear. Instead of trying to determine
> why the system would not clear the signal -- in
> fact caused by an opposing train having been
> cleared to depart the next station, he overrode
> the system and let the train depart anyway. He
> was sentenced to prison for willful neglect and
> causing deaths and injuries. There was also a
> finding that he had been distracted by
> non-work-related activities (on his personal
> phone) while on duty.
>
> The dispatcher was so used to the trains meeting
> at a different location (according to schedule)
> that he was apparently unwilling to consider that
> a schedule disruption had put one of the trains
> off schedule and that the meet would have to take
> place at a different location. One of the
> findings was that there needed to be additional
> training of these dispatchers never to assume that
> what had happened previously would be applicable
> on any given day.
>
> Yes, if someone was negligent, they should be held
> responsible. But, always, the more important
> factor should be why the accident happened and
> what can be changed to prevent it from happening
> again.

The current government has been facing serious criticism, for putting new contracts for trains ahead of safety... Not something you want to be the narrative, if you are the politician on duty, when something like this happens, even if you had no responsibility for this kind of tragedy....

This kind of dubious speculation and deflection is not unlike the nonsense we all heard after Palestine, by folks seeking to score cheap political points.

This find a "culprit" rhetoric for what may well be a systems failure, is a speculative gambit that points a finger in "other directions", often to deflect attention from causes that would be likely to generate political criticism.

One of these "high government officials" was bleating something about "sabotage" without revealing any basis for it, in another report... There are also unconfirmed reports this that someone may have done unapproved/"illegal" excavating on the ROW, damaging the interlocking system.