Not Y2K: Norway Train Crash

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Is anyone following the tragic Norwegian train crash? If this proves to be a control board problem, like Amtrack had, where they lost track of trains which then collided, this would be the first catastophic and terribly tragic Y2K disaster. We certainly don't hope for that but the liberal media would owe many apologies for their mishandling of the Y2K story. There is much yet to be told. Please let us know if you hear anything more about the cause.

-- Ron Sellar (y2kbook@telusplanet.net), January 05, 2000

Answers

Response to Norway Train Crash Y2K Related??? Amtrack had problems ...

Link to Norway paper:

Read down a few paragraphs. It appears that Y2K glitches were predicted.

snip "- Two months ago the Norwegian National Rail Administration warned that lives could be lost at the turn of the millennium due to computer problems. This was revealed in an internal document from the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The Rail Administration has found Y2K bugs in its systems in Hamar. (Dagbladet)"

Nor way Train Story

-- Sally Strackbein (Reston, VA) (sally@y2kkitchen.com), January 05, 2000.


Response to Norway Train Crash Y2K Related??? Amtrack had problems ...

Great catch Sally!!! You should report this as a new thread!

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 05, 2000.

Response to Norway Train Crash Y2K Related??? Amtrack had problems ...

On National Public Radio this morning (~8A ET), a Norwegian reporter mentioned Y2K. One of those sideways references. Something like:

yada railway was reported to have had Y2K problems.

pause

a Y2K failure has not been ruled out.

Didn't see the transcript at www.npr.org this AM. May show up later.

God, I hope it was just another train wreck....

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), January 05, 2000.


Response to Norway Train Crash Y2K Related??? Amtrack had problems ...

This train crash occured on Jan 4, not Jan 1. Somebody suggested a Y2K relation, but this possibility is now practically ruled out. Computers are of cource involved, but dates play no part in the control systems.

-- Olav Engen (ol-enge@online.no), January 06, 2000.

Response to Norway Train Crash Y2K Related??? Amtrack had problems ...

Based on this response from an associate in Norway who is extremely Y2K knowledgeable, I'm inclined to mark this incident as not Y2K related:

"There have been very very few Y2K related problems in Norway so far and this sad train accident is hardly one of them. Last night, however, the police adjusted the expected death toll to approx. 20, but that is still 20 too many.

The accident happened on the secondary route from Oslo to Trondheim. A route that has been given low priority by the Norwegian Governmently owned railroad company, NSB.

It is a single track with crossing points for meeting trains. The only security system is an old system of red / green lights on the track. ( Probably from the time before WW2. ) These lights will either show red in one directions and green in the other or in case of any failure, all red. I.e. at least one of the trains was driving against red light. ( The only possible Y2K glitch is if any of the old mechanical components in this system has been changed with an imbeded chip with a Y2K failure, which I doubt , since the system then would have failed with the first train crossing on 01.01.00.)

Since deciding the colour of the light is one single persons responsibility, the locomotive driver, and since both of them are dead, we can only assume what happened.

The express train from Trondheim to Oslo was delayed and the driver of the local train might have believed he saw a green light to go to the next crossing point, since this train was in fact waiting at the destinated crossing point, but than pulled out.

This action was seen on the rail monitors, but the only way to communicate with the train drivers is mobil phones - which is switched between trains, might been in use or might have been without base coverage. I.e. nobody managed to warn either trains in the 5 min. span before the crash."

-- Jan Nickerson (GICC analyst) (JaNickrson@aol.com), January 06, 2000.



Another associate, living in Norway, reports: "According to recent papers the driver of the northgoing train ran a red light! And there is no autostop system on that particular track... So, the controlroom upon discovering what was about to happen tried calling the driver on the mobilephone - but called another train (they swopped locomotives somehow!) - no radioes in the train... Why nobody called the other train we don't know yet!

So - doesn't look like it's got anything to do with Y2K, just a terrible oldfashioned safety system!!!"

-- Jan Nickerson (GICC analyst) (JaNickrson@aol.com), January 10, 2000.


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