http://youtu.be/oH_IjAxDwLo

Why was it going so fast for the section of track?

That's horrible.  :(

It's reported the driver said he was driving too fast.

Reportedly driving to fast? That video says it all I think. Unless the throttles got stuck or something. Steep curve and the centrifugal force just rips him off. Crazy video. How terrifying for passengers. May the families affected have strength to cope through this awful tragedy

 

 

3 times over the speed limit for that section of track according to our sky tv.

 

 

CRAZY!

Yeah that's what I heard

At first they were trying to say it was a loose metal plate,it's clearly the drivers fault in the video.

High speed rail systems usually use cab signaling because of the speed they go, the operator can't reliably read track side signals, so the signal information is transmitted right into the cab including speed restrictions. The operator should follow the signal aspects himself, but if he fails to do that, the computers, should slow or even stop the train automatically. It looks like that system may have failed here. This is how it works on the TGV in France, I would be very surprised if this train didn't have a similar system.

 

http://www.railfaneurope.net/tgv/signals.html

Yes with all the technology available this looks like it could have been avoided with computer intervention. The best system is have the computer hit the emergency brake when it signals the train is going too fast over the speed limit.

 

I would also think that this train has a dead-man switch on it to prevent the driver from falling asleep. It has also been found that drivers have found ways to override a dead-mans switch in the past that has caused train accidents.

 

In another accident in Australia for example the driver's had been prying a flag on the floor switch to activate it so the system wasn't working as it was suppose to, when this driver became unconscious the train had a similar accident that would have been prevented with a proper working deadmans switch or better design:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall_rail_accident

From the video, it looks like the first coach behind the engine was the first to go.  The engine would be heavier, and its center of gravity would be lower, so the "going too fast" argument looks like the most plausible.

At first they were trying to say it was a loose metal plate,it's clearly the drivers fault in the video.

Are you claiming this purely based on a Youtube recording by an uncalibrated CCTV camera operating at an unkown frame-rate?

At least one expert (or 'expert' I'm not sure which) claimed that merely exceeding the speed limit should not on it's own have been enough to derail the train. Why was there no safety system to limit the train's speed (and/or why didn't it work)? Pinning everything on the nearest scape-goat doesn't make for better safety.

 

Why was it going so fast for the section of track?

Hopefully the investigation will answer that question.

 

 

Why was there no safety system to limit the train's speed (and/or why didn't it work)? Pinning everything on the nearest scape-goat doesn't make for better safety.

 

Actually it looks like it was so equipped with the European Train Control System - Level 2

 

"In Spain, Level 2 was commissioned on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line in October 2011, allowing the speed to be raised to 310 km/h (193 mph) with Madrid-Barcelona travel times reduced to 2 hours 30 minutes"

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Train_Control_System

 

This system should provide in cab signals as well as provide automatic braking if the permissible speed is exceeded.

Yes with all the technology available this looks like it could have been avoided with computer intervention. The best system is have the computer hit the emergency brake when it signals the train is going too fast over the speed limit.

 

I would also think that this train has a dead-man switch on it to prevent the driver from falling asleep. It has also been found that drivers have found ways to override a dead-mans switch in the past that has caused train accidents.

 

In another accident in Australia for example the driver's had been prying a flag on the floor switch to activate it so the system wasn't working as it was suppose to, when this driver became unconscious the train had a similar accident that would have been prevented with a proper working deadmans switch or better design:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall_rail_accident

Automatic Train Protection (ATP) automatically applies train brakes in case of speed above given limit.

The vigilance system (know as "Dead Man") if held down these days won't work. In European locomotives it needs tone pressed and release once to reset. If it is held and not released it cannot be reset.

 

The question is does Spain have ATP (on a High speed train service one would think so-as Japan's Shinkansen has full ATP and Japan have one of the best safety records on the planet!). I would be disappointed if they don't.

 

Let us check what kind of system we are dealing wi here. Every rail system is different in the world. Even in Australia each state has a different system. But there are commonalities which are with equipment. Companies like Westinghouse are prime suppliers of safety equipment to railways world wide. Having an intimate understanding of these things enables a clearer vision of what might have happened in Spain.

 

Actually it looks like it was so equipped with the European Train Control System - Level 2

 

"In Spain, Level 2 was commissioned on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line in October 2011, allowing the speed to be raised to 310 km/h (193 mph) with Madrid-Barcelona travel times reduced to 2 hours 30 minutes"

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Train_Control_System

 

This system should provide in cab signals as well as provide automatic braking if the permissible speed is exceeded.

 

Thanks for that. Will be interesting to find out why the automatic braking didn't function then.