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May 15, 2015

Report: Budget, Other Hurdles Stalled Safety Technology on Crashed Train 
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The death toll from an Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia has risen
to eight with all passengers now accounted for, after another body was
discovered in the mangled wreckage. The news comes as The New York Times
reports the train was already equipped with technology officials say
would have prevented the crash, but the system was not yet active, due
to budget shortfalls and other hurdles. Congress mandated the
installation of positive train control technology in 2008 but failed to
grant access to the wireless frequencies needed for it to work. That
meant Amtrak was bogged down in negotiations with private corporations
to gain use of the necessary airwaves. On Wednesday, just hours after
the crash, House Republicans rebuffed attempts to fund the speed-control
technology, and voted to cut a fifth of Amtrak's budget. On Thursday,
President Obama called for investment in infrastructure.

President Obama: "Until we know for certain what caused this tragedy, I
just want to reiterate what I have already said, that we are a growing
country with a growing economy. We need to invest in the infrastructure
that keeps us that way, and not just when something bad happens, like a
bridge collapse or a train derailment, but all the time. That's what
great nations do."

Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman has said he expects positive train control
technology to be in service in the Northeast Corridor by the end of the
year. Video shows the train sped up as it approached a curve in the
tracks. The engineer Brandon Bostian has agreed to be interviewed by
investigators. His attorney has said he does not remember what happened.

 

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