Latest news with #traintracks
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla's Self-Driving Mode Causes It to Get Hit by Train
Tesla's so-called "self-driving" features have some serious issues with train tracks — and in a recent instance, it led to a small collision with a moving freight train. As Pennsylvania-based broadcaster WFMZ reports, a family of three was forced to exit their Tesla in the wee hours of the morning after it decided, when in an assisted driving mode, to turn left onto some train tracks. Jared Renshaw, the fire commissioner for Southeastern PA's Western Berks County, told WFMZ that the car was in "self-driving" mode when it decided to take a jaunt down the train tracks. Though we can't be sure, Renshaw probably meant the Tesla was using "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) mode, the erroneously-named software that helped the company become the most accident-prone carmaker in the US for two consecutive years. A few minutes after the unnamed travelers ditched the car, a train came barreling down the opposite tracks to the Tesla's crappy parking spot. As indicated by social media photos from the local company that towed the car, it was apparently just inches from the train that hit it, though it came away mostly unscathed save for a clipped mirror. Because the family had already vacated the Tesla, they were uninjured. (That close call, while mighty undesirable, is far preferable to last year's big Tesla versus train story, when one of Elon Musk's self-driving electric vehicles was caught on video careening straight towards a moving train while the driver tried and failed to steer it away.) Though little damage to the car's body occurred, getting it off the tracks was apparently another story. As WFMZ notes, the Tesla had to be lifted via crane due to concerns that trying to roll it onto a flatbed would damage its highly flammable lithium-ion battery. Though the commissioner didn't explicitly say so, such damage could result in a massive, outrageously hot blaze that would require tens of thousands of gallons of water to put out. Despite its polarizing CEO ruining its sales and brand image, Tesla's ubiquity has led to more law enforcement interaction with the EVs. According to Renshaw, however, this was the first time he'd had to deal with the faulty autonomous driving software. "We've had accidents involving Teslas," he explained to WFMZ, "but nobody has expressed to us [in the past] that the vehicle was in self-drive mode when it happened." Unfortunately, the faulty FSD software also undergirds the Robotaxis that Tesla just unleashed onto the streets of Austin — which is, in part, why the rollout has already been such a disaster. More on FSD: Watch in Horror as Cybertruck Driver Plays "Grand Theft Auto" While Screaming Down Highway on Self-Driving Mode
BBC News
16-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
British Steel secures £500m contract to supply UK train tracks
British Steel has secured a five-year contract worth £500m to supply train tracks for Network company will forge more than 337,000 tonnes of track in a deal safeguarding the short-term future of the Scunthorpe comes after the government seized control of the company from its Chinese-owner Jingye in April amid accusations it was planning to switch the blast furnaces off, which would have made them permanently unusable. British Steel said the new contract represented a "huge vote of confidence in UK workers and British industry". While British Steel has long supplied the track used for Britain's railways with Scunthorpe producing rail since 1865, the latest deal provides guaranteed work for the plant for at least the next five years. The contract will begin on 1 July, with the company continuing to provide Network Rail with 80% of its track needs and other European steelmakers to supply "specialist rail products" alongside, the government said. Clive Berrington, Network Rail's director for railway business services, said the public company, which owns and maintains Britain's railways, was "committed to buying British where it makes economic sense to do so"."British Steel remain extremely competitive in the provision of rail and will remain our main supplier in the years ahead," he Harvey, commercial director for rail at British Steel added the agreement demonstrated the firm's "importance to the UK's economy and infrastructure".In April, the government took control of British Steel from its owners but has so far stopped short of fully nationalising the business. It has not ruled out full public ownership, but is also looking for potential private investors to fund steelmaking operations, which has increasingly been raised as a national security over the future of the UK's steelmaking capability were raised when talks between the government and Jingye broke down, with the business secretary saying it had "become clear" that the company was intent on closing down the blast the furnaces were starved of fuel and went out, the UK would no longer have the ability to produce so-called virgin steel, due to the process of restarting them being extremely difficult and steel-making involves iron being extracted from its original source to be purified and treated to make all types of steel used in major construction projects, such as new which employs 2,700 people, is the last plant in the UK producing virgin steel. It has four blast furnaces, all named after English Queens - Bess, Mary, Anne and Victoria, but Bess and Anne are the only two still in government said the new deal with Network Rail demonstrated its progress to "strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains" in order to boost economic Secretary Heidi Alexander, who is set to visit Scunthorpe on Tuesday, said the contract "truly transforms the outlook for British Steel".The deal comes ahead of the government's national infrastructure strategy being released later this has surrounded the future of the UK's steel industry in recent years, with the closure of Port Talbot's blast furnaces in tariffs targeting imports of steel to the country have also threatened businesses. The UK has been temporarily spared from President Donald Trump's executive order doubling steel tariffs from 25% to 50%.However, the UK could end up facing the higher rate if its deal signed with the Trump administration last month, which would see steel and aluminium tariffs axed, does not come into force.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- CBS News
Car erupts in flames after flipping over guardrail on Stevenson Expressway and onto rail yard
A car flipped over on the Stevenson Expressway and fell onto train tracks in a rail yard early Friday morning. Around 4:20 a.m., Illinois State Police said a car was driving on the outbound Stevenston Expressway ramp to Pulaski Road when it hit a guardrail, overturned onto the track, and caught fire. Police said the cause of the crash is unknown at this time. The driver left the scene before police arrived and was last seen running on the tracks. No injuries were reported. Police are investigating. This is a developing story. CBS News Chicago will continue to provide updates.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Work continues to restore rail service in coastal Orange County; June completion still on track
Crews continue to work around the clock to stabilize train tracks along the Orange County coastline, and officials say the plan to finish construction by early June and resume passenger rail service shortly after remains on target. Emergency repair work continues seven days a week and will continue through Memorial Day weekend as crews work to restore the critical Southern California rail line, which has faced repeated closures in recent years due to bluff failures. On Friday, officials from the Orange County Transportation Authority said 4,200 tons of rocks, otherwise known as riprap, have been placed alongside the track in the weeks since it was closed in late April. The riprap is being used to reinforce and secure the shoreline, particularly near Mariposa Point and North Beach in San Clemente, where erosion and landslides have threatened and damaged the rail corridor. 'The riprap is being strategically sorted and placed primarily within the area where riprap previously existed to fortify the track and protect against coastal erosion,' OCTA officials wrote in the latest construction update. The scope of the project has also been expanded after consultation with the construction team and the California Coastal Commission. A 530-foot riprap slope has been added to the construction plans, which is not expected to affect the reopening timeline. For additional protection, about 240,000 cubic yards of sand will also be placed on the beach to help stabilize the slope and protect the track. Some beach access points will remain temporarily closed during the ongoing construction, and beachgoers are being redirected to non-work zones to get around. A pedestrian undercrossing near Mariposa Point has already reopened, officials said. Earlier this month, the Coastal Commission approved a permit for OCTA to build a 1,400-foot wall on the inland side of part of the track in hopes of preventing future slides. A timeline for construction on that project is yet to be determined, but the California Transportation Commission has awarded $97 million for it. Construction will continue daily, including weekends, from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Passenger rail service through San Clemente, including Metrolink and the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, remains suspended. The rail line is the only coastal connection between San Diego and Orange counties. Metrolink will continue daily service to Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo; weekend service will not extend to San Juan Capistrano. Metrolink service updates can be found here. Amtrak will run modified Pacific Surfliner service with bus connections between Irvine and Oceanside. Riders can check Amtrak alerts here. In January 2024, all rail service, both passenger and freight, was suspended for several weeks due to a pedestrian bridge collapsing onto the tracks below in San Clemente. Orange County officials, including elected officials and members of the OCTA board, have blamed climate change and a lack of preventive action for the frequent landslides and economy-impacting closures. For ongoing updates and recent actions, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Community feedback needed on LOSSAN rail realignment plans
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — SANDAG has proposed four alternatives for relocating train tracks from the eroding cliffs of Del Mar, and public feedback will be open for nearly two months. The cliffs of Del Mar are eroding at an average rate of six inches per year, posing a risk to the train tracks currently situated on the edge. SANDAG's proposed solutions for relocating the San Diego Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail in that area includes three tunnel options under Del Mar and one option to reinforce and double-track the current cliffside location. The Mayor and city council of Del Mar have expressed opposition to the current options and have suggested a different location not included in SANDAG's proposals. The Pink, Blue, and Yellow Line options involve constructing tunnels at various locations under Del Mar, aiming to move the tracks away from the unstable cliffs. These options are part of SANDAG's efforts to address the erosion issue. The Green Line option proposes reinforcing the existing tracks on the cliffs by double tracking them, despite the ongoing erosion. SANDAG has also included a 'no build' option, which would leave the tracks in their current location without any modifications. On Feb. 28, 2025, the SANDAG moved forward with proposed project goals, objectives, and alternative alignments, including a no build alternative, into environmental document process. An updated NOP of a Draft Environmental Impact Report was released in May, starting a 45-day scoping period to collect feedback. As SANDAG continues to plan for the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the San Diego LOSSAN Rail Realignment project, they are asking the community to read the notice and share your comments by June 30, 2025. A public scoping meeting will be held at The Sound at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on May 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for project updates and to allow the public to provide comments on the scope and content of the Draft Environmental Impact Report. Public input will be taken at the meeting and can be provided in person, or in writing via letter, email, or online. Written comments on the scope of the EIR should be sent: Via mail to SANDAG, 1011 Union Street, Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92101, ATTN: LOSSAN Comments Via email to lossancomments@ with subject line 'SDLRR Project NOP' Online at Due to the time limits mandated by state law, responses must be sent at the earliest possible date, but no later than June 30, 2025. Public feedback is open for 45 days so residents and stakeholders can voice their opinions on the proposed alternatives. For more information on this project, the scoping period, or the environmental process, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
