Investigators
and first responders work near the wreckage of an Amtrak passenger
train carrying more than 200 passengers from Washington, DC to New York
that derailed late last night May 13, 2015 in north Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Investigators probing a fatal Amtrak crash in Philadelphia last month
pointed to human error after finding no defects in the brakes or signals
as a cause for the wreck estimated to have cost the railroad more than
$9 million.
The accident that killed eight passengers remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Northbound Train 188 was traveling at 106 miles per hour, more than twice the speed limit on a bend in the track when it derailed on May 12, investigators have said.
“We are not aware of any defects or issues identified to date with respect to the track, locomotive, or other infrastructure,” Representative Bill Shuster, a Pennsylvania Republican who heads the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a statement before a Tuesday hearing on the crash.
Investigators are still analyzing the mobile phone records of engineer Brian Bostian and matching them with data from the train. That will determine whether Bostian, who has said he doesn’t remember what happened, was using his phone in violation of policy, NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said in testimony at a House hearing on Tuesday.
Amtrak estimates the crash cost more than $9.2 million, the safety board said in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
A system that can automatically slow a train going too fast into a curve wasn’t installed on the northbound tracks in Philadelphia. Amtrak hadn’t anticipated that an engineer might speed up going into the curve, Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Joseph Boardman told Shuster’s committee.
The technology was installed on the southbound tracks at that curve. U.S. regulators want all passenger rail systems including Amtrak to install a more advanced technology called positive train control, Sarah Feinberg, the acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, said in prepared testimony.
“This committee expects answers,” Representative Jeff Denham, a California Republican, said at the hearing. “We’re also looking for solutions. I’m looking forward to seeing PTC implemented in a very, very quick manner.”
After the crash, Amtrak installed automatic braking technology on the northbound tracks where the train derailed. The railroad says it will install cameras in its locomotives to help determine the causes of future crashes.
The head of the labor union that represents Bostian cautioned that such cameras won’t prevent a crash.
“Installation of cameras will provide the public nothing more than a false sense of security,” Dennis Pierce, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen national president, said in his testimony.
Republicans on the committee want to know why Amtrak didn’t spend profits earned from its Northeast Corridor route on safety upgrades, including locomotive cameras and positive train control.
Source:bloomberg.com
The accident that killed eight passengers remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Northbound Train 188 was traveling at 106 miles per hour, more than twice the speed limit on a bend in the track when it derailed on May 12, investigators have said.
“We are not aware of any defects or issues identified to date with respect to the track, locomotive, or other infrastructure,” Representative Bill Shuster, a Pennsylvania Republican who heads the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a statement before a Tuesday hearing on the crash.
Investigators are still analyzing the mobile phone records of engineer Brian Bostian and matching them with data from the train. That will determine whether Bostian, who has said he doesn’t remember what happened, was using his phone in violation of policy, NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said in testimony at a House hearing on Tuesday.
Amtrak estimates the crash cost more than $9.2 million, the safety board said in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
A system that can automatically slow a train going too fast into a curve wasn’t installed on the northbound tracks in Philadelphia. Amtrak hadn’t anticipated that an engineer might speed up going into the curve, Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Joseph Boardman told Shuster’s committee.
Positive Control
“The notion that an engineer might actually accelerate into the northbound curve was not a circumstance we anticipated, and thus we didn’t mitigate for it,” Boardman said.The technology was installed on the southbound tracks at that curve. U.S. regulators want all passenger rail systems including Amtrak to install a more advanced technology called positive train control, Sarah Feinberg, the acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, said in prepared testimony.
“This committee expects answers,” Representative Jeff Denham, a California Republican, said at the hearing. “We’re also looking for solutions. I’m looking forward to seeing PTC implemented in a very, very quick manner.”
Amtrak Deadline
PTC can automatically slow trains and prevent collisions or travel on incorrect tracks. Feinberg called it the most important advance in railroad safety in a century. U.S. law requires PTC to be installed and in use by the end of 2015 for all tracks carrying rail passengers. Amtrak “should” meet the deadline on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, Boardman said.After the crash, Amtrak installed automatic braking technology on the northbound tracks where the train derailed. The railroad says it will install cameras in its locomotives to help determine the causes of future crashes.
The head of the labor union that represents Bostian cautioned that such cameras won’t prevent a crash.
“Installation of cameras will provide the public nothing more than a false sense of security,” Dennis Pierce, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen national president, said in his testimony.
Republicans on the committee want to know why Amtrak didn’t spend profits earned from its Northeast Corridor route on safety upgrades, including locomotive cameras and positive train control.
Source:bloomberg.com