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Re: NTSB report on fatal monorail collision at Disney World on 7/5/2009
Author: Erik H.
Date: 11-04-2011 - 18:57
. Wrote:
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> For a collsion of that size: "Total damages were
> estimated at $24 million...."
If we want to jump to any conclusions, this is why FRA Crashworthiness Regulations are in effect in the United States.
This was a relatively "minor" collision at a low speed, and the cabs are completely gone with one fatality. Imagine the victim count if this were out on the mainline. The monorails simply weren't designed to be bumped into and therefore have no crash protection, thus the extensive damage.
That said...the Disney Monorail systems at all of its parks have a pretty good overall safety record; and this collision resulted from simple human error and not the design of the monorail or the system itself. The ATS system that could have avoided this collision was in override, a fact well noted in the NTSB report. When you add up all of the things leading to this disaster, the collision itself was simply more significant owing to the lack of crash protection built into the trains, but there were many factors at play that led up to that point.
-------------------------------------------------------
> For a collsion of that size: "Total damages were
> estimated at $24 million...."
If we want to jump to any conclusions, this is why FRA Crashworthiness Regulations are in effect in the United States.
This was a relatively "minor" collision at a low speed, and the cabs are completely gone with one fatality. Imagine the victim count if this were out on the mainline. The monorails simply weren't designed to be bumped into and therefore have no crash protection, thus the extensive damage.
That said...the Disney Monorail systems at all of its parks have a pretty good overall safety record; and this collision resulted from simple human error and not the design of the monorail or the system itself. The ATS system that could have avoided this collision was in override, a fact well noted in the NTSB report. When you add up all of the things leading to this disaster, the collision itself was simply more significant owing to the lack of crash protection built into the trains, but there were many factors at play that led up to that point.
