Death Toll in DC Crash Reduced to 7

Public anger erupts over second train crash since July

(NEWSER) - More than 260 people were injured today when two subway trains collided in central Shanghai, a government official says. Most of the wounds were bruises and bone fractures, and none were critical, Reuters reports, but one passenger says that “blood was everywhere." More»

(AP) - The subway train that plowed into another stopped train yesterday, killing nine people and injuring scores of others in Washington, was part of an aging fleet that federal officials had sought to phase out because of safety concerns, an investigator said today. The Metrorail transit system kept the old trains running despite warnings in 2006, Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board said. More»

(NEWSER) - Experts suspect yesterday’s deadly subway collision in Washington was the result of both a system failure and human error, the Washington Post reports. The city’s trains are run by onboard computers, which should, theoretically, prevent trains from colliding. The system has failed once before, in 2005, but the operators hit the emergency brakes in time. It appears yesterday’s operator did not. More»

Ridership was up 2.3% from 2010

(NEWSER) - If you think the subway has felt extra crowded lately, you likely aren't imagining things: Americans are hopping on public transportation more often, according to a new report out today, with the number of bus and train passengers last year reaching its second highest level since 1957. Nationwide, transit ridership was up 2.3% from 2010, to 10.4 billion trips, the American Public Transportation Association says. Vehicle miles of travel, meanwhile, dropped 1.2%. More»

Suspect shot as he grappled with cop on platform

(NEWSER) - A New York City subway rider accused of groping the buttocks of two teens ended up with a bullet in the lower back after grappling with an off-duty cop. The officer confronted the man at a Harlem station after two young women, a 13-year-old and an 18-year-old, said they had been groped, the New York Daily News reports. A round was discharged from the officer's weapon as he struggled with the suspect on the station platform. More»