Good morning all… It’s been three weeks since I last posted, so accept my apologies. I’ve been a bit crazy with work, planning for a wedding now, baseball, friends, etc. etc. You know the deal.

But anyway, I’m sure by now you all know about the recent Metro train accident yesterday, which occurred on the Red Line in between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations. There’s plenty to read about it all over the internet as the story has been picked up by national outlets across the country, and even across the pond.

Details are still conflicting from one report to the next, but the basic facts remain clear: a train in motion hit a stationary train on the Red Line; numerous fatalaties (anywhere from seven to nine); over 70 people injured, most minor, but several critical; major train service disruption across the entire Metrorail system; the NTSB is investigating, along with the FBI; black box data is likely not going to be as good as it could have been, as a first generation rail car was leading the train in motion (newer, third generation cars have more comprehensive black box recorders, greater safety measures, and are much more “crashworthy”).

Since I’m a major advocate of mass transit and the Metrorail system in particular, I’m going to spare criticism for the sake of the victims of the terrible tragedy (besides, Metro’s operating budget is not necessarily exemplary of a first class, one-of-the-largest-in-the-world mass transit system, but that’s a discussion for another time). At this point, I just want to extend my thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the wounded.