Amtrak to install system that might have prevented Philadelphia crash

The deadly Amtrak derailment near Philadelphia could have been avoided if a long-sought safety technology had been installed on its tracks and trains, according to accident investigators. On Thursday, Amtrak President Joseph Boardman said the nation’s passenger railroad will finish installing the technology, called positive train control, throughout its busy Northeast Corridor by the end of the year. Seven years ago, Congress gave Amtrak and freight and commuter railroads until the end of this year to install the technology, but few railroads are expected to meet the deadline. Now lawmakers are proposing to give railroads another five to seven years to get the task done.

The question isn’t whether this technology will be implemented but when. It’s just a matter of priorities…

Deborah Hersman, chief executive officer of the National Safety Council

The technology can automatically brake to prevent derailments and is aimed at preventing human error, which is responsible for about 40 percent of train accidents. The engineer in the Philadelphia crash applied full brakes, slowing the train to 102 mph before it derailed, Robert Sumwalt, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a Wednesday news conference. The speed limit in the curve where the wreck occurred is 50 mph. The train’s engineer was “reckless and irresponsible in his actions” by traveling at twice the speed limit, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

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