Via train collides with bus

[lock4244]

Initial reports from Ottawa Fire indicate multiple fatalities. How this can happen at a marked grade crossing protected by barriers when all buses are required to stop at all railway crossings is beyond me:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/via-rail-train-oc-transpo-bus-collide-at-level-crossing-in-ottawa-1.1459799

[cv_acr]

Yikes. Bus went right through the crossing gate.

Horrible situation.

(Also, people are really stupid. Comment posted on the article page: "I hope there were no serious injuries." Did you not read the #$%^ing article? Or even just the headline which clearly stated multiple fatalities??)

[davefoxx]

And there's this comment at the end of the article: "Something is going on with VIA rail and trains lately."

Huh?  A bus goes through a crossing gate and hits a train and VIA is at fault?!   

My prayers go out to those affected and the families of those who lost loved ones.  I assume the driver is among the deceased since the driver's compartment appears to have been shorn off.

DFF

[Dave Schneider]

Yikes. Bus went right through the crossing gate.

Horrible situation.

(Also, people are really stupid. Comment posted on the article page: "I hope there were no serious injuries." Did you not read the #$%^ing article? Or even just the headline which clearly stated multiple fatalities??)

No argument with me about whether some people are stupid. However, it is common practice for stories to be updated and earlier comments to be retained. It is possible that the initial story did not have the details. A very terrible accident.

Best wishes, Dave

[C855B]

Apparently officials are withholding the status of the bus driver at this point. I just read six articles about the event and none mention, not even speculatively, whether the driver is among the fatalities, although it is sadly a forgone conclusion given the complete disintegration of the front of the bus. Interviewed bus passengers seem to be intimating that something may have happened to the driver since he drove that route every day and nearly always needed to stop for this train.

The multiple press statements citing the MMA tragedy and declaring Canada has a rail safety problem are irresponsible, however.

[cv_acr]

No argument with me about whether some people are stupid. However, it is common practice for stories to be updated and earlier comments to be retained. It is possible that the initial story did not have the details. A very terrible accident.

Best wishes, Dave

Yeah, well, you're right. Article looks a lot longer now than when I read it this morning. Initially the headline said 5 dead, now says at least 6 and >30 injured.

[lock4244]

There are those so intent on posting a comment that from their point of view, the article ends with the headline.

I've heard that the driver had earbuds in and she was not incapacitated, just distracted. Passengers are claiming she drove right into the barriers and that they were screaming at her to stop. The locomotive (VIA 915) and several/all passenger cars derailed but remained upright. Significant sideswipe damage to the locomotive on the conductors side indicates the bus drove into it's path and not into the side of the train, as was initially indicated.

[flight2000]

Draw your own conclusions, but this looks an awful lot like a side impact from the bus.  There would be significant damage to the front end if the train hit the bus instead of the bus hitting the side of the engine.

Photo is from the Canadian Transportation Safety Board Flickr page (posted on another forum...).   



Brian

[lock4244]

That is a much better shot than the one I saw. That little bit of scuffing at the headlight / ditchlight would seem inconsistent with a frontal impact. Looks like the P42 took the brunt of the impact...

Looks like some sheet metal work and some paint are in the future of 915.

[lock4244]

Yeah, well, you're right. Article looks a lot longer now than when I read it this morning. Initially the headline said 5 dead, now says at least 6 and >30 injured.

Driver and five passengers are deceased.

[Scottl]

Terrible tragedy, a VIA route I use all too frequently.

[m_nanson]

Living in Ottawa, our news cast on all media have been filled with nothing but this collision. 
From multiple sources: eyewitnesses from the bus state that the crossing gates were down, and signals flashing when the bus did not stop, crashed through the crossing gate and then impacted the train.  The impact sheared off the front of the bus and ejected several people.  The bus has a capacity of 90+ people seated and standing and was very close to, or if not over max capacity.  This route #76 is a suburban to down town core express route.  The road it was on is a dedicated rapid transit bus road that has a max speed limit of 80 kph (~50 Mph).  OCTranspo buses are NOT required to slow or come to a complete stop at "controlled" rail crossings, which this one is.  The train was slowing down from speed as it was about to come to a stop at the Fallowfield Station,  the combined via transit station that the bus had just departed.  It has been reported that TSBC investigation is now focused on the bus and not the train.    The six fatalities include the bus driver, two university students, and other persons from the Ottawa Area.

The crossing of the collision was discussed to be changed to a grade separated crossing in the early part of the 2000s but due to water table issues it was decided not to pursue the design change running the road under the rail line.  The standard for at grade crossings is when the number of road multiplied by  the number of rail crossings is less than 200,000 per day.  There are 25 trains per day into Fallowfeild station including staging crossings for the Montreal bound trains that start at Fallowfield and go into Ottawa station and then on to Montreal.  That only leaves 8000 road crossings per day on the Woodroffe road crossing right beside this dedicated Transit road crossing.  Here in Ottawa Woodroffe road is a major North south artery and has way more than 8000 vehicles per day on it so this crossing dose not meet the Canadian Guidelines.  In the area of Ottawa referred to as Barrhaven, has been one of the fastest growing nabourhoods in Canada, there are 5 major arterial  roads and ALL of them are crossed by this CN/VIA line at grade.   All the major arterial roads in to the east of the first road I refer to are separated.