Spanish Rail Disaster.

[Just-Jude]

Should all trains be fitted with seatbelts and emergency escape chutes?

[heathfield]

I note from the images on TV that the train windows appeared to be made from laminated glass. Some had small holes or tears in them where the glass itself had shattered, but the rest of the window, though mis-shapen, was mainly complete, being held together by what looked like really tough laminate plastic. Is it possible that windows constructed like this would have made it very difficult for passengers to escape from the train?

[237SJ]

I`ve often thought they should have seat belts on trains but given that train companies like to pack people in seated and standing, that would mean carrying a lot less passengers as there would be seating only. It`s all about money. No point in having escape chutes as they need to be at height to operate. You can`t have sprinklers either as they would have to be BCF (not water) and they need to be operated by someone.

[EDDIE51]

Pretty pointless as this was totally down to driver error , he was going way too fast. The previous stretch of track was an 80 Km long straight where the speed limit was 250 km/h , the driver was still doing 200Km/H where the limit was n80Km/h . The previous part of the track had the modern automatic digital speed limit sensors which would have taken control of the train if the driver had exceeded the limit. But the curve where he crashed had an older analogue system which failed or was overridden. The crash was due to cost cutting by the rail company in failing to put the fool proof system in place on the entire track and recklessness by the driver.
This crash could not have happened in UK as we have the full system on all mainline tracks.
It has now reached the point where the biggest safety risk on a train is the driver , a fully automatic computer controlled system of driverless trains would be much safer. The DLR ( Docklands Light Railway) is fully driverless and has a perfect safety record.

[237SJ]

The DLR is only 25 miles long and the speeds are not great. I can see how that train can be driverless but I don`t think there is any comparison with the DLR and the Spanish train.

[mushroom25]

//This crash could not have happened in UK as we have the full system on all mainline tracks.//

err - no we don't. the original concept of TPWS was to mitigate severity of instances where trains pass signals at danger. Whilst the regulations were later changed to include permanent speed restrictions on plain line curves, this was only in certain prescribed circumstances that resulted in 1150 fitments throughout the network and even then, the ORR granted an exemption under further prescribed circumstances - see here:-

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.8763

[netibiza]

A lot of public vehicles here in Spain do have seats belts, and there are notices saying to wear them (at least here on my island) but of course no one ever wears them. I was on a train from Madrid to Toledo and we had seat belts.