Rail Crash Training Drill Slated For Saturday Morning In Windsor Locks

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — Travelers navigating Main Street in Windsor Locks Saturday morning need not be alarmed by what they are likely to see - first responders rushing to aid injured passengers from a head-on collision between two trains. It is all simulated as part of a rail crash training drill by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT).

The drill, which will appear and sound realistic, is scheduled between 10 a.m. and noon at the Windsor Locks yard at 231 Main Street. It is part of ongoing safety training, practice, reinforcement and refinement exercises designed to achieve the highest level of safety along the Amtrak line, according to the CTDOT.

Volunteers will take the role of passengers injured as the result of a simulated head-on collision with another train. The simulation will include actual calls to on-duty emergency responders (fire and police), who will travel to the scene and work to rescue simulated crash victims, according to the CTDOT.

The simulated crash is designed to reinforce and fine-tune the efficacy of 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 protocols. This drill supplements the extensive and ongoing training for all involved groups, according to the CTDOT.

After the drill concludes, a debrief session will occur where participants share their observations and discuss their insights to disseminate and reinforce vital information. The drill is required by the Federal Railroad Administration, but is also an important component of CTDOT’s ongoing safety training and reinforcement practice, according to the CTDOT.

"As we undertake this critical exercise, the Connecticut Department of Transportation would like to alert and remind the public and media that while it may appear to be a real rail crash, it is not. We do not want to cause undue worry," CTDOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti said. "We are releasing this information to prevent unnecessary public concern and to also allow the participants of this important drill to focus on their duties, in order to learn and provide the safest service to the public."

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