Speeding Time Bombs → “Runaway” and “Unstoppable” Trains

Pentagon’s reported talk of “New Operational Concepts” and employment of contested logistics highlight failure of Rail Executives’ command and control.

Only a matter of time before Capitalistic exploitation is followed by Terrorist execution. A myriad of chemicals are ripe for the taking!

“Someday someone will die-and [legal] wall or not-the public will not understand why…

– I.C. Smith, Former Special Agent at the FBI*

Tech to Wreck. Rail & Silicon Connection

I hear “NTSB to Open a Special Investigation into Norfolk Southern Railway’s Safety Practices and Culture.”Who better to talk to than the workers who tell it like it is.

“There is no human being I know who can take being called at 7 PM for a 9 PM job, and go through this to finally arrive at the hotel at 2 PM, without an impact on their wellbeing. It is brutal.”    – Matthew DeLay, Class I Locomotive Engineer, Ames, Iowa

NTSB, I’m happy to be of assistance. Time to plug away or better still visit the “Plug and Play Tech Center.” Interesting corporate partners.

Under Supply Chain & Logistics, you will findNorfolk Southern  and Canadian National Railroad. And stakeholders like Georgia Pacific and global partners like “BNSF Logistics, …a Berkshire Hathaway…”

Norfolk’s March 6, 2023 ‘Six Point safety plan’, from hot bearing and acoustic detectors, to digital inspections and ‘Close Call Experience Program’ sounds oddly familiar.

Norfolk’s webpage NS Rail Techhas links to *2018 and 2019 tech articles. I found they provide a ‘blueprint’ of what Norfolk and other companies (i.e. CSX) may have had in mind when devising their business model.  But, whether the intent was safety still remains to be seen.

NTSB, I highlight four articles below with excerpts. I added my comments/suggestions for you.

Norfolk Southern and CSX, pay attention and see what you can learn from “Air Disasters” and NTSB Investigations.

FIRST: “6  Ways Freight Rail Gets Techie”

3. Smart sensors keep wheels turning.

Smart sensors placed alongside track use a host of technologies — such as infrared and lasers — to assess the strength and health of wheels and bearings as they travel across the nation’s rail network. Overheated wheel bearings can lead to train derailments, so railroads use hotbox detectors to measure the temperature of bearings. When a bearing gets too hot, it can only safely travel another five to 100 miles.

Canadian Pacific uses acoustic bearing detectors to predict when bearings will overheat three months in advance of them actually overheating. These sensors use acoustic signatures to evaluate the sound bearings make. By combining this data with the data collected by hotbox detectors, Canadian Pacific can find patterns in the acoustic bearing detector data that indicate when bearings could overheat.

→NTSB, Perception of technologies addressing organizational, operational and culture issues is  showcased by the articles on their webpage NS Rail Tech, with catchy terms like progressive, modernization, innovation, digitization, driverless, automation….

The NS “six-point safety plan” to ‘enhance’ detectors, use of acoustic and conduct R&D begs the question: With exception of Canadian Pacific, what the hell had NS been doing in 2018 and 2019 with “Plug and Play Tech Center?” Playing around?

4. Locomotive simulators safely train engineers.

As a supplement to required field training, CSX uses tabletop locomotive simulators to train engineers on Positive Train Control (PTC.)

To create the simulator, CSX used a helicopter equipped with advanced imaging technology to capture detail about routes, including curves, elevation, track speed and even the location of buildings and overpasses along the track.”

 →NTSB, compare to “Deadly Space” when a “Virgin Galactic commercial spacecraft, the USS Enterprise, crashes during a 2014 test flight. As per your investigation, co-pilot unlocked fetter system early. Training records of 18 months earlier revealed co-pilot unlocked the fetter too late. Training simulator did not portray the same environment of 2014 test flight for co-pilot.

5. Big Data makes railroads safer and more efficient.

Railroads use machine learning to predict a number of maintenance issues — such as track wear and tear — based on patterns and trends found in huge amounts of data.

“It’s a lot like when your phone guesses what word you’re going to use next in a text message,” says Mabby Amouie, Norfolk Southern’s Senior Director of Analytics and Chief Data Scientist. “By analyzing patterns, we can predict the rail’s wear and tear over time.”

→NTSB, question text accuracy and compare to 2000, “Concorde: Up in Flames.” Air France and British Airway Supersonic Aircraft investigation found runway metal debris (strip approximately 1 foot). Reenactment: Impact of strip caused fuel rupture. Strip replaced just a few weeks before. Mechanic drilled new holes because unable to align to strip.

NS 2018-9 claims of prediction leading to safety by relying on ‘machine learning’ are inconsistent with train wrecks and derailments in past four to five years.

SECOND: “A New Frontier in Railway Innovation”

We not only find that “NS has linked up with Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play” but that “these kinds of partnerships do have challenges. For established companies and railways in particular the speed of the innovation process is much faster than what they are used to, potentially leading to a clash of cultures.”

According to Mr. Marty Battaglio, assistant vice-president for information technology at NS, “you need to make sure you get the right people, the ones who are thinking beyond the immediate needs and are willing to take some chances on technology and really change a business process that we may have been doing the same way for 20-30 years.”  Marty, what kind of “chances?”  

NTSB, given multiple crashes and derailments leading to deaths and thousands exposed to toxic chemicals, it appears more like a gamble than a calculated risk.

THIRD: “ AAR Gives Congress Rail Tech Lesson”

“CSX hosted a display of AskRail, a mobile app to aid first-responders at derailments and other situations involving hazmat cars.”

“CSX also showed a locomotive cab simulator based on the General Electric AC4400, which it uses to train its locomotive engineers. The digital track routes are accurate depictions of actual lines, enabled with Positive Train Control. Attendees quickly found that the PTC would shut down the locomotive if it detected an overspeed condition.”

→NTSB, did you find at incident involving NS a “mobile app to aid first-responders at derailments”? Also, it appears that an override of the PTC may not be conceivable. Note “Grounded: Boeing Max 8” referencing 737 MAX of 2018 and 2019 flights equipped with MCAS system.

Both crashes were attributed to Boeing’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) activated. Impetus for the Max? “Improve efficiency and performance.”

NTSB investigation found MCAS not included in operational manual for pilots on bequest of Boeing and approved by FAA. Adding to this failure, MCAS provided No Fail Safe.

*Special Note – Boeing Max 8” two fatal air crashes of 2018 and 2019 coincide with tech articles posted on Norfolk’s Website.

FOURTH: “Supply Chain News: Driveless Railroad from Australian Miner Rio Tinto May Show Future of US Rail Freight”

Referencing the Wall Street Journal, “mining giant Rio Tinto Rio spent 10 years developing its driverless train system, which it calls AutoHaul. Now, the system manages some 200 locomotives with no drivers that move iron ore from mines in the interior of Australia in to coastal ports.”

It appears automation, driverless trains and non-stop fast trains is clearly the goal. Yet, Association of American Railroads states “one-third of rail accidents involve human error.” NS, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis suggesting “tragic human error” also did not go over well with the people in Greece as to the recent train crash with 57 fatalities. 

→NTSB, U.S. Pilots have noted in investigations of airline disasters, Airlines are quick to point to “Pilot error.” However, the actual cause of majority of disasters falls on Aircraft Manufacturers and Airline companies organizational and operational failures: mechanical errors, aircraft design flaw, overworked and underpaid pilots, etc. NTSB investigations disclose many of these findings noting their recommendations not always being adhered to.

In rail industry, push for deregulation hinders workers safety and environmental protection.

Case in point: “The Rio Tinto example clearly shows the technology is here,” John Scheib, chief legal officer at Norfolk Southern, told the Journal “It shows that our regulator needs to move more quickly to open the doors to such technologies.”

NS, looking to get into the mine industry? Explains the long haul of dozens of trains. But are you sure it was a good idea to pack staple commodities of Agriculture, Forest, Metals, Construction with Chemicals and Coal? On top of all this, you want it going fast! We remind you, U.S. is no outback.

Did NS idea of quick and driverless railroads ‘open the doors’ to derailed and “runaway trains?”

All comes down to Norfolk’s policy on safety alerts and why “union officials believe they are emblematic of Precision Scheduled Railroading, the most controversial — and profitable — innovation that’s come out of the country’s seven biggest railroads…It prioritizes keeping rail cars and locomotives in constant motion.”

Risk Deterrence: Revamping Rail Communication and Cargo Protocols

“Deadly” not surprisingly is a word found in many of the episode titles in Air Disasters.  Norfolk Southern and CSX, here’s what you can learn from them and NTSB Investigations.

First recall “Fatal Delivery” where attempting to land in Dubai a Boeing 747 crashed.  

A “Two-man crew of a UPS cargo jet must attempt an emergency landing when a fire in the cargo hold fills their cockpit with smoke.” Cargo shipment – 81,800 lithium batteries. Recommendations: Flame-resistant cargo liner among others.

Also, in “Missing Pieces” we find a cargo/passenger DC-9 plane caught on fire before it went down. Investigation revealed plane was transporting flammable cargo – expired oxygen generators. NTSB questioned if Captain would have signed off on manifest if aware of the dangerous cargo.

Important: Two incidents point to the critical need, in air or ground transport, of full description of cargo (items, weight, etc.) and recruiting qualified personnel equipped with knowledge and safety measures in packaging procedures.  NTSB points out it took 3 minutes and 2 seconds for fire to bring down plane.

Note: Trains traveling at high speeds carrying time and temperature sensitive chemicals and materials can easily become speeding ‘time bombs.’  Toxicologists like Gerald Poje have noted how certain chemicals naturally heat up over time. May explain the impetus for speed in transport.

Real time tracking is necessary but not sufficient.  A few randomly attached sensors are not going to cut it. A multiple-sensory system equipped with a both a heat reduction module and fire retardant installed in train carriages carrying igniting or explosive chemicals is vital in security measures.

BUT, these measures are ineffectual if the numbers of corresponding workers to oversee are not present. Workers who have vested knowledge and experience with railways and trains: Conductors, engineers, etc.

Risk in Freight/Passenger trains is augmented with understaffing, insufficient or poorly trained employees. The Lockerbie incident involved a connecting flight where a bomb was transported via a Samsonite case. 

NTSB’s 2023 investigation of “Norfolk Southern Railway Train Derailment with Subsequent Hazardous Material Release and Fires” highlights a “the positive train control system was enabled and operating at the time of the derailment.” Clearly the PTC system failed to impede derailment. Why?

Three possibilities: Lack of Regulatory Oversight; Mismanagement; and Unsafe Practices.

Deregulation is clearly the modus operandi. An independent decision making Federal Rail body needs to be instituted. Railway companies do not operate in unison as to policies and procedures.

Again, such regulations are made within the rules and bounds that Congress sets. For example, degree thresholds deemed warranted by Congress in collaboration with companies, are not necessarily deemed safe and acceptable by outside experts.

Railroad Communication is key as that with Air Traffic Control. Technological advances implemented in Air Transportation do not necessitate the need to eliminate key critical roles. For example, FAA policies and procedures have long implemented the standard cockpit crew of Pilot, Co-Pilot and Engineer per aircraft carrier.

In fact, just a few days ago two committees were held: Aviation Safety and Aviation Workforce. The irony is that for decades Aviation has struggles to recruit as Railroads cut jobs.

Standard practice must be put in place for the command and control of a rail craft pulling dozens of large trains with a crew commensurate with the size, loads and speed.

Also, the use of electric or technical equipment for supply chain and logistics as replacement of key operational positions do not serve in providing 100% failure proof railroads. NTSB Chair notes Electric Control Brakes (ECB) do not impede derailments, adding that an accident like in East Palestine was “100% preventable.”       

Mismanagement of human resources and budgets has exacerbated the working conditions of employees. Spending in the guise of tech and progress appears actually focused elsewhere.

For example at the “Plug and Play Tech Center,” you will findNorfolk Southern  and Canadian National Railroad listed on the page for Supply Chain & Logistics. Though deemed integral to the transport industry, it is not a replacement for the critical role Staff play.

Unsafe practices have led to putting both workers and the public at large in harms’ way. The adage of ‘doing more with less’ has been standardized to the degree of unsustainability (Still ordering from Amazon?).

Electronic and technical data sources are only effective if provided to those who need access to them. Danger of Railways limiting or not sharing their digital data as to cargo  with pertinent employees is magnified when key public agents are not privy to the same information in real time.

NTSB, the key in aircraft disaster investigations are “Black boxes” and Flight Data Recorders (FDRs). Are there comparable systems in place on passenger and freight trains?

Breaks? NTSB point out, “Train 32N was operating with a dynamic brake application…” noting that “On a diesel-electric locomotive, dynamic braking uses electric traction motors as generators, slowing the train and dissipating mechanical energy as heat.​”

I refer you to Gibson Barbee and Philippe Westreich 2013 paper,“NS 999 Electric Switcher Update.” They point out that “the NS 999 electric switcher is the first step to the ultimate goal of recovering braking energy from high power conventional diesel locomotives.” 

So with all NS talk of modernization and innovation, they have not advanced in 10 years since the Electric Switcher?

Taking Down MANMADE DISASTERS

Pentagon, I have an idea for a train with no rails. Hell, I’ve got an idea for no trains. But for now, let’s see how we can take down what I see as speeding time bombs: Runaway, Unstoppable, or Ghost trains.

→“The cat must be killed or belled. In either case, it must be confronted by a power greater than itself.” H. D. Lloyd

Railroad industry has failed in their Mission and need to update their October 7, 2019 Guiding Principles. There is NO evidence of “integrity, excellence, transparency, accountability, innovation, and safety.” Appears all you got is ‘engagement’ with stakeholders: politicians and business.

Regulatory enforcement of Railways to abide by similar Aviation standards need to go into effect before the next person hurt or killed is someone the country gives a hell about. Remember Golf Legend Payne Stewart?

Trajectory of a 1999 Learjet taking off from Florida destined for Texas was cut short, as narrated in the documentary Air Disasters episode“Deadly Silence.” NTSB investigation found failure in cabin pressurization led to pilot, crew and passengers becoming unconscious. As Jet was set on auto pilot, it continued in flight across multiple states finally crashing near South Dakota.

Air Traffic Control reporting of jet’s failure in communication led to authorities in National Security to classify as ‘rouge’ taking immediate action and sending F-16 attempting aerial contact. Upon confirming flight crew irresponsiveness, the jet was categorized as a “ghost plane” and consideration to take it down was on the table. In the end, jet was monitored until loss of fuel brought plane down.

NTSB, Deregulation of Passenger and Freight trains appear to literally trump NTSB findings and recommendations. Unless a high level of security as in Aviation is not implemented, three things will happen: Deaths, injuries, and environmental contamination.  And of course, a lot more job security.  

“The reasons for the FBI’s failure to prevent the attacks of September 11, 2001, were managerial, not structural…The FBI had become so enmeshed in its overseas investigations that it ignored the very real possibility that the same terrorists it was tracking abroad could commit even more devastating acts of terror here in the U.S…so history repeated itself on September 11 while the FBI still had its blinders on when it came to domestic activity by international terrorists.” –   I.C. Smith, Former Special Agent at the FBI*

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*I.C. Smith, Former Special Agent at the FBI. Statements made in this paper are from his 2004 book Inside, A Top G-Man Exposes Spies, Lies, and Bureaucratic Bungling Inside the FBI.