Rail Safety Drill To Simulate Train Crash In Meriden: State DOT

MERIDEN, CT — The Connecticut Department of Transportation is advising motorists that a rail safety drill that simulates a train crash will take place Saturday in Meriden.

The drill is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, July 22 in Meriden.

The emergency response exercise is a “critical component of ongoing safety training and practice to ensure the highest level of safety along the Hartford Line,” according to officials.

“The drill will look and sound like a real train crash, including using smoke machines to simulate a fire,” officials wrote in a news release. “Volunteers will assume the roles of injured people involved in the incident. The simulation will consist of calls to on-duty emergency first responders dispatched to the scene and working to rescue crash victims. The training will occur in a rail yard underneath Interstate 691 along State Street Extension, north of the Meriden Rail Station.”

The Federal Railroad Administration requires the drill, which is a component of ongoing safety training at CTDOT. It is designed to reinforce and fine-tune emergency response protocols of train crews, dispatchers, first responders, and others, as well as the coordination and real-life application of communication and chain-of-command incident management protocols, according to the news release.

“This training exercise is an important component of ensuring the safety, preparedness, and responsiveness of first responders, personnel, and staff if there were ever a real-life rail incident,” state DOT Public Transportation Bureau Chief Benjamin Limmer said. “While we don’t want these events ever to occur, we must be prepared in case of an emergency. Loud noises, smoke, and emergency responders will make this training drill seem authentic. Please be assured this is a simulation, and there is no emergency activity in the rail yard.”

The drill supplements the extensive and ongoing training for all involved groups. After the simulation concludes, participants will meet to share their observations and discuss insights learned from the exercise.

Officials are asking members of the public to refrain from attempting to be onsite for the training exercise.

“First responders, volunteers, railroad personnel, and participants must fully focus on the training exercise,” officials wrote.