Dashpots and snubbers are not used much as emergency devices. They are for repetitive use. When you desperately need to dissipate a lot of energy, but collisions are rare, expendable devices are usually used. The article shows a pile of sand. In the early days of BART, the control system was so bad that large piles of sand were put at the end of each line for years.

Piles or sand are an example of expendable devices, I think? At least barrels of sand are.

Using an expendable device at the rail ends is an indication that the control system isn't that bad. If failure to stop at the rail end was more than rare, a reusable safety mechanism would be appropriate, and that would be an indictment of the control system.

Or if the piles of sand were frequently replaced (or repiled)