A tragedy which could have been even heavier without technological advances. Tuesday evening, a few hours before Christmas Eve, a TGV driver jumped from his cabin in what appears to be a suicide.
Despite his action, the train was able to stop without the safety of the passengers being threatened.
“The safety of train passengers was not threatened at any time”
“As soon as he left his driving position, the train's automatic stopping devices were activated and the train stopped automatically”she clarified.
“The safety of train passengers was not threatened at any time, nor was the safety of traffic, the traffic management center having been immediately automatically alerted”the railway company said again.
The company explains that the safety device, called “Automatic Standby with Downforce Control” (VACMA), “allows you to confirm the active presence of the driver at all times” in the train driver's cabin.
A check every 30 seconds
The driver must therefore “alternatively press then release either a pedal with your foot or a switch with your hand”indicates the SNCF.
“If he does not release the pressure every 30 seconds or if he does not press the mechanism again after 5 seconds, a very loud alarm goes off in the driver's cab to make him react. He has 3 seconds to do it.”
“If it does not do so, the train motors automatically cut off their traction effort and the automatic emergency braking device is triggered at the same time,” specifies the company.
“In the case of yesterday's drama (Tuesday evening, editor’s note), This safety feature worked as expected.”she emphasizes.
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