In the News
After Philly crash, railroads got more time to install a key safety system. Three years later, some still lag behindhttp://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/philly-amtrak-crash-railroads-positive-train-control-congress-safety-deadline-20180703.htmlAfter Amtrak Train 188 derailed in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015, national safety experts said the accident that killed eight and injured hundreds could have been prevented with a safety fix Congress had mandated in 2008: Positive Train Control.
Railroads were supposed to have the system, which automatically controls train speeds to prevent accidents, in place by the end of 2015. But almost none had acted quickly enough to meet that requirement, so Congress voted to give them more time.
Nearly three years later, and with just six months to go before the new deadline, it’s increasingly clear that a half-dozen or more railroads are still moving too slowly to meet even the revised due date at the end of 2018. Unless they speed up the pace, another expected installation date will come and go with many rail passengers still vulnerable to the same kinds of human errors that have led to fatal consequences.
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Rep. Jeff Denham (R., Calif.), the chair of the House’s rail subcommittee, said, “We want no excuses. … There will be very little tolerance to the railroads’ not meeting the letter of the law on this deadline.”
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