Approximately ten cases have been documented of people falling out of the side exit doors of moving passenger trains throughout the US. Most of these individuals were elderly passengers and the events usually happened late at night. Amtrak has classified most of these accidents as individuals with mental disorders or suicidal tendencies. Legal actions at the present time have been dismissed by the courts due primarily to the lack of any witnesses to the events. An investigation was conducted of a passenger car allegedly involved in one of these accidents. A number of recommendations were made including: 1) a systems engineering study of the problem, 2) an interlock system which would prevent the side exit door locking handle from being activated while the train is in motion, 3) an “All Green Board” at the engineer's station to indicate that all doors on the train are locked before starting the train, 4) a protective translucent cover installed over the regular door handle to indicate the criticality of opening this door, 5) a new warning sign on the exit doors which follows the ANSI standard, and 6) a training program, related to this dangerous situation, for all Amtrak operational personnel.
Considerations on longitudinal dynamics of passenger trains with blocked wheelsets during braking
