BAYTOWN, Texas — Approximately 12 cars derailed after one Union Pacific train rear-ended another on Friday night, sending two cars into a canal that feeds Houston’s water supply, KTRK-TV reports.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported the incident about 8 p.m. on social media, and said no injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved. Two of the cars ended up in a canal connecting the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers, leading the city of Houston to shut off its water pumps. KTRK reports officials now say there was no risk to the water supply. The Sheriff’s Office had initially reported that the derailed cars were carrying plastic pellets, but the station reports some cars involved carried liquid propane, while others were empty. No leak was reported.
A Union Pacific representative told KRIV that the incident occurred just outside a rail yard and is under investigation.
Baytown is just east of the Houston city limits.
— Updated at 8:15 p.m. with photo and additional details.
If PTC was active on this section it is possible to override it and operate at restricted speed. Which would allow for a collision at up to 19 mph. My guess is those tank cars are empty and easily came off the rail at impact.
I’m sorry, I must have missed an acknowledgement within this forum of the estimated costs avoided by PTC systems since implementation. Sure, it did not prevent this collision, but no system can completely prevent everything. Isn’t some improvement worth it?
At the very least, Uncle Pete can fill in a gap in PTC coverage or modify the system leading up to the point of collision to make it more difficult for the circumstances that aligned the stars to make this collision possible… to occur again.
Thankfully nobody was hurt. Thankfully no hazardous materials were leaked. UP (and other railroads) will learn from this and be better off (safer!) because of it.
So much for that fancy positive train control! Wasn’t that supposed to make accidents like this a thing of the past?
Also, anyone notice the frequency of derailments / accidents seems to be increasing, or at least being reported more than before?
Alex, both the media and general public seem to be reporting on and paying closer attention to derailments since East Palestine. While I agree with your observation that derailments seem to be almost daily, one can’t help but wonder if the frequency and number of derailments have gone up, down or are unchanged over a similar period say, 10 years ago.
The collision occurred “just outside a rail yard”. Positive Train Control may not have been in effect at that location.
HIGHLY unlikely PTC was a factor in anything here. But that’s not the point. The public was sold on the necessity of PTC and still accidents still happen.
As I had mentioned in another comment yesterday, derailments have been steady for the last ten years or so. I do think, as Ron mentions, that there is more reporting. For comparison, the linked data shows that there were over 9,000 derailments a year in the 1970s versus some 2,000/year now. Also, apparently if even a single wheel comes off the track, RRs are obligated to report it.
https://usafacts.org/articles/are-train-derailments-becoming-more-common/
The “point” to me is that all the automation in the world does not substitute for two eyes, two ears and one brain. What was the second crew doing that kept them from watching what was ahead of them. The NTSB/FAA tells pilots that when all else around you is chaotic, FLY THE PLANE. Buy time to figure out the problem. Same could be said here: “Drive” the Train. I think distraction is still a huge issue in being safe on the rails,. WHAT WERE THESE GUYS DOING?