Trains in the Washington Metro collided due

The collision of trains in the Washington metro, as a result of which nine people died , was caused by the signal system or the error of the driver, experts believe. Obviously, with a dangerous rapprochement of the compositions, the automatic braking system did not work, the newspaper The Washington Post writes.

Recall that the accident occurred in the American capital on Monday evening, at the peak hour - at about 17:00 local time. In the open section of the path between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations, one metro train flew to the other behind. As a result, a whole car was crushed, dozens of people were injured. Some people had to be released from the destroyed car with the rescuers.

- In the Moscow metro, there is also a system of automatic braking

The Washington metro trains are equipped with a computerized signaling system, which is designed to prevent collisions. With dangerous rapprochement of trains, automatic braking is triggered. Theoretically, this system had to make a collision impossible.

Nevertheless, four years ago - in June 2005 - a short -term refusal of the signaling system was already recorded in the Washington metro. Then the drivers to avoid the accident had to slow down manually.

The victims in a clash on Monday claim that one train flew at the other at full speed: the female manist did not even try to slow down. At the same time, the clash occurred in clear weather in the open area, and not in the tunnel. It is possible that something happened to the driver, and she simply could not press the brake. It is not possible to find out yet - the woman died as a result of a collision.

The authorities and representatives of Metro, serving the Washington subway, announced the beginning of the investigation. The causes of the disaster are officially said nothing.

The last time people died in the Washington metro as a result of the accident in 1996 - then two trains also collided, the driver died. In November 2004, another clash occurred, 20 people were injured, but no one died. In January 1982, three people were killed after the Metro train got off the rails.

Press service of the Moscow metro: we have a similar accident impossible

The collision of trains in the Moscow metro is physically impossible, since there is an automatic locomotive alarm with automatic speed control and emergency braking, they are certified in the press service of the metropolitan subway. However, a similar system acted in Washington.

“An automatic locomotive alarm is valid on different metro lines,” RIA Novosti officers quotes the Words of the RIA Service. “The system warns the driver to reduce speed, if for some reason he does not, then the speed is still automatically reduced - either the inhibition occurs if the previous composition remains a small distance.”

This system was commissioned at the Moscow Metro in the 90s and never failed. "Before that, we also had a security system that regulated the speed of train, similar to the system on the railway," the press service noted. In the Moscow Metro in its entire history there was no case of a collision of trains.