Well it appears that Amtrak does have the more advanced Positive Train Control system installed on most of the Northeast corridor, just not where the accident happened.

And yes it would have most likely prevented the accident.

Why it was not installed there?

I am sure that will be revealed as investigations progress.

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Vic I really don't want to see this in Politics, so please stop!

Ignorance must be bliss, I guess.

I was just trying to be informative, nothing more..

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Well it appears that Amtrak does have the more advanced Positive Train Control system installed on most of the Northeast corridor, just not where the accident happened.

And yes it would have most likely prevented the accident.

Why it was not installed there?

I am sure that will be revealed as investigations progress.

Why? A distinct lack of enough Money.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Well it appears that Amtrak does have the more advanced Positive Train Control system installed on most of the Northeast corridor, just not where the accident happened.

And yes it would have most likely prevented the accident.

Why it was not installed there?

I am sure that will be revealed as investigations progress.

Why? A distinct lack of enough Money.

Very probably not as Amtrak has fitted PTC to all it locomotives and nearly all of the Northwest corridor, so why not this section. Amtrak is currently taking delivery of 70 Siemens ACS 64 locos, the same as involved in the accident.

The Northwest Corridor is Amtrak's most profitable area and has had more investment, possibly because unlike most of the rest of the US Amtrak owns most of the track. It is the rest of the county that desperately need the investment in rail. So it is very disappointing that this accident should happen here as it will have the anti train lobby saying that even with advanced systems fast trains are too dangerous.

PS It would seem that Positive Train Control in the Northast Corridor is still "a work in progress" and it is just the sheer scale that means it cannot be done quickly. Amtrak's Jan/Feb news letter suggests it will be finished the year.

In this case it seems time rather than money was the issue

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Well it appears that Amtrak does have the more advanced Positive Train Control system installed on most of the Northeast corridor, just not where the accident happened.

And yes it would have most likely prevented the accident.

Why it was not installed there?

I am sure that will be revealed as investigations progress.

Understand it is on schedule to be fitted by end of year in that area. So the answer to your question why is either dumb luck or someone picked the wrong starting point to put the loops out on the track.

I just hope the real cause isn't the same as the Chatsworth Metrolink crash.

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+1

This thread is for commentary on transportation safety incidents and is intended for people who don't want to go to Politics (but that means you have to keep politics out of this thread).

Not always possible I'm afraid for 4 simple reasons: -

A) Safety Concerns
B) Security Concerns
C) Financial Concerns
D) Political Concerns

I know we can't keep politics entirely out of here, but let's try to keep it to a minimum, especially the arguing.

Another
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/05/14/at-least-10-cars-off-tracks-in-hazelwood-train-derailment/

At Least 10 Cars Off Tracks In Hazelwood Train Derailment

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Curious...

...negotiating an "S" bend at 10mph & derailed?

Not a good week for Amtrak, I guess.
Amtrak engine catches fire here in Wisconsin...

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Not a good week for Amtrak, I guess.
Amtrak engine catches fire here in Wisconsin...

Oh dear there was a batch of fires a couple of years back that was traced to faulty injectors.

Completely took out 4 or 5 locos that have not been repaired.

Hope there aren't any more.

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3 charts - US Train Risks explained

For such a large country, it's shocking if correct.

3 charts - US Train Risks explained

For such a large country, it's shocking if correct.

Why is it shocking? It is well know that passenger rail in the US has been underfunded for years.

I remember when I traveled to the US and told some people I was taking a train to visit Washington and Boston, they were surprised. Some Americans I have spoken to have never traveled by train, car and plane yes train not so much.

As you are aware whole passenger network collapsed in the 70's due to firstly the car and later cheap air travel, almost all the existing passenger services were bankrupt by the early 70's

Amtrak was funded by the government and was expected to fail.

In fact this quote sums it up.

Nearly everyone involved expected the experiment to be short-lived. The Nixon administration and many Washington insiders viewed the NRPC(National Railroad Passenger Corporation) as a politically expedient way for the President and Congress to give passenger trains a "last hurrah" as demanded by the public. They expected Amtrak to quietly disappear as public interest waned. Proponents also hoped that government intervention would be brief, but their view was that Amtrak would soon support itself. Neither view has proved correct. Popular support has allowed Amtrak to continue in operation longer than critics imagined, while financial results have made a return to private operation infeasible.

Somehow it has limped along ever since. Note the "financial results" line, long distance passenger travel is still not profitable

Remember whilst there is "State Controlled" passenger service, there is no central control of the actual tracks, signal and stations, they are looked after in the main by the freight railroads. The Northeast Corridor is the only place that Amtrak controls most (but not all) of the track. There is still not a universal signalling system across all railroads, historical differences mean that signals and even signal heads on different lines may not look the same or mean the same.

Some of the larger cities like Chicago took over the local commuter services themselves

Throughout the rest of the country track and signals are maintained by BNSF, NS, UP, CSX, CP etc... who really don't need high speed track and signals for freight trains.

It is down to under investment and whilst things are starting to improve it will take time.

Please no political statements in reply to this, under investment is a fact of the past, if you wish to discuss the future of rail and investment, please start a thread in politics.

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Amtrak engineer was obsessed with trains as a teen

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brandon Bostian was obsessed with trains while growing up, talked about them constantly and wanted to be an engineer or a conductor.

"He would go on vacation and bring back subway maps," Stefanie McGee, a friend from Tennessee, recalled Thursday. "He would go places with his family and he would talk about the trains instead of the places."

Bostian's teenage dreams would come true. But now, at 32, the Amtrak engineer finds himself at the very center of the investigation into the nation's deadliest train wreck in nearly six years.

He was at the controls of a train that investigators say entered a sharp bend at 106 mph, or twice the speed limit. Eight people were killed and more than 200 injured in the derailment Tuesday night in an industrial section of Philadelphia.

In yet another curious turn in the investigation, Robert Sumwalt of the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that the train sped up in the last minute or so before the wreck, accelerating from 70 mph to over 100 mph.

He said it is not clear yet whether the speed was increased manually. So far, investigators have found no problems with the track, the signals or the locomotive, and the train was running on time, Sumwalt said.

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PHILADELPHIA (CBSNewYork/AP) — An assistant conductor said she thought she heard an Amtrak train engineer say his train had been hit by projectiles before the derailment this week, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.

The FBI has now been asked to join the investigation, according to NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

FBI To Join Amtrak Wreck Probe After Reports That Projectiles May Have Hit Train

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/15/amtrak-derailment-latest/

Unusual to see

Level crossings again though.

PHILADELPHIA (CBSNewYork/AP) — An assistant conductor said she thought she heard an Amtrak train engineer say his train had been hit by projectiles before the derailment this week, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.

The FBI has now been asked to join the investigation, according to NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

FBI To Join Amtrak Wreck Probe After Reports That Projectiles May Have Hit Train

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/15/amtrak-derailment-latest/

It is a talking point, and certainly an issue.
But even so, unlikely to have had any bearing on the crash.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Unusual to see

Level crossings again though.

Story said the manure tank was on the opposite side of the crossing from the towing vehicle, but didn't say if the tank was intact. If not, lots of fun for clear-up crew.....

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

PHILADELPHIA (CBSNewYork/AP) — An assistant conductor said she thought she heard an Amtrak train engineer say his train had been hit by projectiles before the derailment this week, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.

The FBI has now been asked to join the investigation, according to NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

FBI To Join Amtrak Wreck Probe After Reports That Projectiles May Have Hit Train

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/15/amtrak-derailment-latest/

It is a talking point, and certainly an issue.
But even so, unlikely to have had any bearing on the crash.

Last night late news said they have reports of 3 trains (a south-bound Amtrak, a SEPTA commuter, and Amtrak 188 that derailed) being hit in the short time before the derailment. One wonders if the shock of the windshield being hit didn't cause the driver to accelerate rather than brake into the curve....

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

PHILADELPHIA (CBSNewYork/AP) — An assistant conductor said she thought she heard an Amtrak train engineer say his train had been hit by projectiles before the derailment this week, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.

The FBI has now been asked to join the investigation, according to NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

FBI To Join Amtrak Wreck Probe After Reports That Projectiles May Have Hit Train

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/15/amtrak-derailment-latest/

It is a talking point, and certainly an issue.
But even so, unlikely to have had any bearing on the crash.

Last night late news said they have reports of 3 trains (a south-bound Amtrak, a SEPTA commuter, and Amtrak 188 that derailed) being hit in the short time before the derailment. One wonders if the shock of the windshield being hit didn't cause the driver to accelerate rather than brake into the curve....

And just what would the acceleration rate of that train be???? From the stated 70mph limit to 106mph?
It would have taken a lot longer than the shock to a driver from a rock in the windshield, I suspect.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

PHILADELPHIA (CBSNewYork/AP) — An assistant conductor said she thought she heard an Amtrak train engineer say his train had been hit by projectiles before the derailment this week, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.

The FBI has now been asked to join the investigation, according to NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

FBI To Join Amtrak Wreck Probe After Reports That Projectiles May Have Hit Train

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/15/amtrak-derailment-latest/

It is a talking point, and certainly an issue.
But even so, unlikely to have had any bearing on the crash.

Last night late news said they have reports of 3 trains (a south-bound Amtrak, a SEPTA commuter, and Amtrak 188 that derailed) being hit in the short time before the derailment. One wonders if the shock of the windshield being hit didn't cause the driver to accelerate rather than brake into the curve....

And just what would the acceleration rate of that train be???? From the stated 70mph limit to 106mph?
It would have taken a lot longer than the shock to a driver from a rock in the windshield, I suspect.

The TV news reported that an assistant engineer heard him talking on the radio about it. Not knowing how far ahead of the curve it happened, might be enough time to gain 35mph. Probably something the NTSB is looking at.

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired