What is a train problem?

In the classic version of the problem, a train is barreling down a track at five people. You're in position to throw a switch, diverting the train to another track where it would only hit one person. So here's your choice: Should you let the five people die, or make an active choice to kill the one person?



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No transportation system is perfect; however, so trains do still fail on occasion. Four of the most frequent causes of trains failing to move or reach full speed are the failure of power, a defect in the master control circuit, a defect in the motor control circuit, and failure of air brakes to release.

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In 2021, the median length of a train on Class I railroads — meaning half were longer, half were shorter — was 5,400 feet. Just 10% of trains were longer than 9,800 feet, and fewer than 1% of trains were longer than 14,000 feet.

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'Train' comes from a French verb that meant to draw; drag. It originally referred to the part of a gown that trailed behind the wearer. The word train has been part of English since the 14th century—since its Middle English days.

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A derailment of a train can be caused by a collision with another object, an operational error (such as excessive speed through a curve), the mechanical failure of tracks (such as broken rails), or the mechanical failure of the wheels, among other causes.

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