[Steve_Seattle]

They've been running on those same fixed tracks for 43 years - how is a collision possible?

[Boundless]

> They've been running on those same fixed tracks for 43
> years - how is a collision possible?

There was apparently an ill-considered re-alignment in the
1980s. The "pinch" that resulted relied on visual signals
to avoid collision. It would appear that the only thing
remarkable about this crash was that it took this long
before the first one happened.

See:
http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/News.html#Anchor-Driver-49575

[SW6906]

Steve, back in the late eighties, they moved the tracks closer together in the turn to make way for development. There is a procedure in place that one train is supposed to wait for the other so that they are both not in the turn at the same time. It has worked for 15+ years. It cracks me up to listen to the media types explain exactly this procedure and then say that the "cause of the crash is still not known at this time", LOL!

[Psycho_Bunny]

They had to narrow the tracks at a turn when the Westlake Center Station was built.  So this accident has been possible since the mid-80s. 

As far as I can tell, there's only like 1 rule the train operators have to follow: DON'T PULL INTO THE TURN WHEN THE OTHER TRAIN IS LEAVING THE STATION. 

They usually slow down...and there's a warning light on the track.  I imagine the driver pulling into Westlake was talking to someone on the train and missed the warning light.  On these trains there's a passenger seat right next to the driver (on both ends of the train) and normally kids sit there and talk to the operator.  He or she was probably talking to the kids when they went past the warning light.

It's too bad, most everyone involved in the Seattle Center Monorail is really very nice.