If anyone needs to travel between Portland and Seattle…
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/alaska-air-slashing-airfares-for-seattle-portland-flights/
Now the running theory that it was just excessive speed, not a combo of some object plus speed.
Yes, I read this morning that the train was going around 80 mph on a stretch of track that has a 30 mph speed limit.
It sounds like that data recorder was recovered, showing evidence of the 80 mph. Supposedly they haven’t debriefed the crew yet, so they don’t know if it was an error or a mechanical failure.
I wonder if it was a management crew, that doesn’t work as often as a regular crew. Or for some reason they were unaware that the speed limit at that point was 30 mph.
I think I only want to go on trains with positive speed control, that will slow down even if someone isn’t paying attention.
What I don’t understand is why they don’t do self driving trains? Unlike cars driving in traffic, self driving trains would be no brainer. They go on a straight line and there’s very little unexpected. You don’t need any fancy equipment. Just slow down to x miles at point y, etc.
The freeway is still closed southbound today. About a 1.5 hour detour to go around.
Apparently, schools have been cancelled in the area.
Confirmed doing 50MPH over the posted speed limit.
re post #20. The time spent getting to and from airports (have flown into Seattle often and driven I 5 to Portland) makes flying seem to take too long and too many hurdles… I did like the light rail for Seatac transportation!
I know. But given the fact that there was no train, and the I-5 was closed, flying would be faster.
A friend has to get to Portland, but no seats available on Alaska that will get him there.
SIL and BIL were gong to spend the week in OR, but decided to postpone til next month and avoid the extra hours in traffic
@BunsenBurner wrote- “…given the fact that there was no train, and the I-5 was closed…”
I’m a recent transplant to Washington and am unfamiliar with the freeway terminology here. In California it’s “the 5”, “the 405”, etc., but in Utah it’s just I-15 and I-80. Here I’ve been calling it “I-5”, without the “the”. What’s the local vernacular? Thanks
Amtrak is running again between Portland & Seattle, they just reverted to the old route for now. I haven’t heard whether the highway is open again or not (it wasn’t earlier today).
I’ve just heard I-5 since I moved here a couple years ago (no “the”). But maybe that is just my friends – a lot of them are transplants, too. 
Born in Washington, live in Oregon- all along I-5. It’s always been I-5, without the “the”.
I thought all tracks were supposed to be fitted with a device that slowed trains after the last derailment?
Apparently they are still testing and won’t have it fully in place till December 2018. (Assuming Congress doesn’t extend the deadline again - which was 2015 originally.)
@sherpa - it is “I-5.” I paid attention to how news anchors referred to the freeways this morning. It was “I-5” without the “the.”
No “the” in Washington. To say it is to brand yourself an immigrant to the state. Exceptions are few - the 520 bridge is ok, but then you say that you’re using 520.
Unfortunate that the funding had a time limit on it.
I’m sure it will end up as a lack of preparedness combined with inattention and speed. A tragedy that didn’t have to happen and could have been much, much worse.
When I saw the train cars, as well as the vehicles on the highway, being removed from the site, all I could think was that it’s a miracle that only three people were killed.