2007 Ridgewood Junction train derailment

Ridgewood Junction train derailment
Details
Date
Location
Coordinates	40°58'14.8"N 74°07'33.3"W
Country	United States
Line	Bergen County Line & Main Line
Operator	NJ Transit
Incident type	Track Failure and Human Error
Cause	Improper switch replacement
Statistics
Trains	1 (Trains #1252)
Passengers	100
Deaths	0
Injuries	0

On February 21, 2007, a NJ Transit commuter train derailed at Ridgewood Junction in Glen Rock, New Jersey and Ridgewood, New Jersey (the train derailed after it had crossed the town border). This accident occurred during the morning rush hour and resulted in the temporary suspension of service along NJ Transit's Bergen, Main, and Port Jervis Lines, although limited service with delays was restored by the evening rush on the Main Line and Port Jervis Line. The incident did not result in any injuries as the train was moving at 36 mph (58 km/h) at the time of the derailment.

Background

The one train involved in the incident had originated from Waldwick station and was numbered on the timetable as Train #1252.

Train #1252

Having originated from Waldwick, the 1200 series train (as all Waldwick terminating and originating trains are numbered as in the timetable) was running in a push pull configuration at the time, with GP40PH-2A #4149 powering the train at the time of the incident. It was designated as a peak period train that would make all stops after departing Waldwick station at 7:15 AM EST, with a scheduled arrival time of 8:05 AM EST into the terminus of Hoboken Terminal. Train #1252 consisted of a combination of Comet IB and Comet I coaches, along with Comet I Cab car #5127 leading the train at the time of the accident.

Ridgewood Junction

Ridgewood Junction is the area where the Main and Bergen County Lines of NJ Transit's Rail Network combine again before Ridgewood Station. The area used to have 4 tracks and was created sometime in the late 19th Century (1881) as a result of the construction of what is now the Bergen County Line. Presently, the area is still actively used by the aforementioned NJ Transit commuter trains, and now has 3 tracks. Other details include the fact that the former signal/junction tower sits abandoned on the eastern side of the tracks.

Accident

Train #1252 had a scheduled departure time of 7:15 AM EST from Waldwick, along with arrival/departure times of 7:18 from Ho Ho Kus, 7:21 from Ridgewood, and an expected 7:25 arrival into Glen Rock Boro Hall. In accordance with eyewitness testimony and accident reports, Train #1252 was running several minutes behind schedule as it switched from Main Line Track 2 to Bergen Line Track 2 through the Ridgewood Junction area (between Ridgewood and Glen Rock Boro Hall stations) around 7:30 AM EST at 36 mph (58 km/h). It was then that there was a sudden rumbling and screeching sound before the train quickly halted after leaving the track. In all, 3 of the 5 coaches from the train derailed, while the remaining cars and locomotive appeared to remain upright/on the track.

Due to the slow speed nature of the train at the time, there were no reported injuries among the passengers and crew. Those on board at the time were transferred to another train that pulled up on the adjacent track to continue the journey to Hoboken.

Cause and Aftermath

Following the incident, train service along the adjacent Main Line, along with service on the Bergen and Port Jervis Lines was fully suspended for several hours. Limited service with 10 to 15 minute delays along the Main and Port Jervis lines was restored by the evening rush that same day after the 3 derailed coaches were re-railed around 3:45 PM EST. The delays were the result of track repair, speed restrictions, and initial single tracking.

In regards to the cause, NJ Transit discovered the improper conduct of a maintenance team that had performed a switch replacement just ten days before the accident. This improper conduct resulted in a flawed switch replacement which then led to tight gauge: where the track was too narrow to accommodate the wheelsets of the train. An inevitable result of tight gauge was the failure of the track all together as train #1252 traversed over the improperly repaired switch.

The specific employees responsible for the incident were immediately suspended without pay, while NJ Transit consulted with the FRA and investigated four similar switches of the type that failed in the accident.

The general result of these inspections resulted in the verification of proper repairs along with the stricter enforcement of maintenance procedures. Furthermore, the derailment of the Comet IB and Comet I cars helped hasten their eventual retirement/withdrawal from revenue service beginning in 2008 and extending to 2009.

References

• https://web.archive.org/web/20070101153051/http://www.njtransit.com:80/pdf/rail/r0020.pdf
• https://www.njtransit.com/press-releases/nj-transit-identifies-preliminary-cause-derailment
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFPWLT_8flE
• https://www.thepwi.org/technical_hub/technical_hub_files/track_maintenance_general_guides/maintenance_of_track_gauge_guidelines_1999
• https://www.recordonline.com/article/20070221/NEWS/70221014
• http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/88838.aspx
• http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=660554

This article "2007 Ridgewood Junction train derailment" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:2007 Ridgewood Junction train derailment. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Macdona rail disaster
• New Jersey Transit Big Tree Garage
• 2020 Whatcom railway Terrorist Attack
• 2018 Station Square derailment
• New Jersey Transit Kearny Point Garage
• New Jersey Transit Greenville Garage

---