Posted on 05/15/2015 11:16:42 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
A computer system that allows speeding trains to be slowed remotely – potentially averting deadly derailments – was installed in the section of track in Philadelphia where Tuesday’s fatal Amtrak crash occurred but had not been turned on, congressional sources tell U.S. News.
“The PTC was installed in the section of track where the Philadelphia accident occurred, but for whatever reason had not been turned on, the PTC in that section,” Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., tells U.S. News, referring to "positive train control."
His account was corroborated by Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.
“The tracks had PTC, the train had PTC,” Harris says.
Both congressmen are members of the House Appropriations Committee, which contacted Amtrak for more information about the crash.
The train, Amtrak Northeast Regional 188 from the nation's capital to New York City, was hurtling at more than twice the recommended speed limit when it jumped the tracks just after 9 p.m. Yet the technology that could have slowed it had not been enabled – allegedly because of delays in installing the system, Harris, Dent and a third congressional source say, citing communications between the Appropriations Committee and Amtrak.
"According to Amtrak, PTC was installed in the section of track where the Philly accident occurred," a committee source writes in an email to U.S. News. "There have been delays in 'turning it on' associated with FCC dealings and getting the bandwidth to upgrade the radios from 900 MHz to something higher (for more reliability)."
Amtrak's application for the bandwidth needed to use the positive train control system was approved in "early March," an FCC official says.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
Where all the federal warning labels installed?
Unfortunately, it may turn out that the Engineer on this "hot mess" may have been busy texting or Emailing amateur Weiner Art, depending on the automatic speed governor to hold the curve.
Should be interesting show trial for whomever should have been watching the Amtrak Boards that night.
That is Government for you.
Republicans turned it off.
There can be no other explanation.
And now, they're running everyone's health care! Yay!
“The real question is why are trains even designed to go over the speed limit in the first place.”
Well engines are designed with lots of power to adjust to the load they’re pulling. Maybe that’s why?
Everyone should read D-bag Shumer’s comment at the link.
““It is simply a fact that insufficient funding for Amtrak has delayed the installation of PTC, and to deny a connection between the accident and underfunding Amtrak is to deny reality,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who called claims to the contrary “patently false.”
More evidence of government competence. No one will be fired (can’t fire the gay engineer; can’t fire the people who did not turn on the automatic speed control) and the taxpayers will foot the payouts and damages.
Civil immunity for government incompetence and negligence needs to be done away with. Make the .gov individual personally liable for all damages, not the innocent taxpayer. For any liability insurance, it comes out of the .gov salary.
Doesn’t matter what the “official” conclusion is.
This is operator MALFEASANCE, to the point of being criminal in degree.
But again, in this territory once known as “the United States of America”, the law is dead letter and be damned. Nothing will happen to adjudicate the matter or provide redress.
That brings us back to operator error. The more I read about Mr. Bostian, the less I'm comfortable with him driving a train.
Translation: Give more money to my union friends.
Yes, but that would mean that indivdual would have to take personal responsibility for the safe operation of the train.
And since the guy at the controls has been identified as a gay and union activist, he's obviously above any sort of blame.
Nope, lets focus on the Republicans and the lack of automated controls instead of the guy who pushed the speed up over 100 mph in a 50 mph zone.
Yeah, that's the ticket.
Wow. But it’s still Bush’s Fault.
Not to worry, Big Brother will protect you.
This time next year the automated controls will be in place, and the train will basically be running on autopilot.
Yet we will still be paying union scale to an engineer to sit in the locomotive.
There are varying speed limits along the rails, just as there are on highways. This train’s rails have up to 70mp limits; at the location of the crash, it was 50mph.
Along the same route there is a speed train (Acela), and new ones coming next year that will allow speed up to 160 mph. That’s not the standard train, obviously.
Bandwidth kilt ‘em. Yeah. Right.
I am sure Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz personally turned of the working system. /S
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