4 ms·

All true points, but even though almost all of your points need to be solved to have fully automated speed control, they are not necessary if all you want to do

by btown 11y ago

All true points, but even though almost all of your points need to be solved to have fully automated speed control, they are not necessary if all you want to do is put an upper-bound on the speed of a train as it goes through a curve. Is there possibly a curve coming up? Slow the train down unless you have positive confirmation from fail-fast instrumentation that you're on a straightaway track and that all other trains nearby are accounted for. It doesn't prevent all accidents, but it prevents some, and it might have prevented this one. The article indicates that there are difficulties rolling out a full-service speed control system. Perhaps this tragedy will encourage them to roll out their bugfixes as they're implemented to whatever machines can accept them, rather than waiting for the entire release cycle to complete!

pm24601 11y ago
Different environment here. A partial rollout can be deadly as well. Its worse than asking Boeing to do a "partial" rollout of aviation software. But its much more than just software - its hardware and different kinds of hardware as well. Its also multiple different railroading companies from all across the country, with 1000s of locomotives. For example, a UP locomotive may be attached to a cross-continental train in Oakland and end up on the NEC 8 days later. That UP locomotive would need to have the PTC hardware and software installed. Using foreign power happens all the time. When a train crosses from one railroad to another, at most a new crew comes on but the locomotive stays with the train. That new crew needs to know how to run the locomotive, there can't be wildly varying versions of PTC equipment onboard. Now throw in all the leasing companies that have equipment of varying ages and abilities to be retrofitted. And if life isn't complex enough, the NEC has 3 different electrification systems and a few short line railroads. Railroading has a heavy, hard-fought focus on safety. Before railroad companies got really serious about safety - railroading used to be quite dangerous. They are not going to just "rollout" releases. And to your statement about "not all of the issues need to be solved". Actually, yes they do because having trains just down or be slower than needed because of PTC is not reasonable either. Consider this, a well functioning railroad has an average car velocity of about 25 mph. A railroad that is snarled with locomotives badly positioned, crews going outlaw in the wrong place has a car velocity of 21 mph or so. Now you are going to throw in some half solution. Not. going. to. happen.

by btown 11y ago

pm24601 11y ago

Different environment here. A partial rollout can be deadly as well. Its worse than asking Boeing to do a "partial" rollout of aviation software. But its much more than just software - its hardware and different kinds of hardware as well. Its also multiple different railroading companies from all across the country, with 1000s of locomotives. For example, a UP locomotive may be attached to a cross-continental train in Oakland and end up on the NEC 8 days later. That UP locomotive would need to have the PTC hardware and software installed. Using foreign power happens all the time. When a train crosses from one railroad to another, at most a new crew comes on but the locomotive stays with the train. That new crew needs to know how to run the locomotive, there can't be wildly varying versions of PTC equipment onboard. Now throw in all the leasing companies that have equipment of varying ages and abilities to be retrofitted. And if life isn't complex enough, the NEC has 3 different electrification systems and a few short line railroads. Railroading has a heavy, hard-fought focus on safety. Before railroad companies got really serious about safety - railroading used to be quite dangerous. They are not going to just "rollout" releases. And to your statement about "not all of the issues need to be solved". Actually, yes they do because having trains just down or be slower than needed because of PTC is not reasonable either. Consider this, a well functioning railroad has an average car velocity of about 25 mph. A railroad that is snarled with locomotives badly positioned, crews going outlaw in the wrong place has a car velocity of 21 mph or so. Now you are going to throw in some half solution. Not. going. to. happen.