AMTRAK TOLD TO EXPAND SPEED CONTROL AT CRASH SITE
PHILADELPHIA — Federal officials announced Saturday that Amtrak must immediately expand its use of a speed restriction system on Philadelphia’s northbound rails where a speeding train reached 106 mph, flew off the tracks and crashed, killing eight people.
The Federal Railroad Administration said an emergency order would be issued in coming days that calls for Amtrak to ensure the presence of the automatic train control system that notifies an engineer when a train is above the speed limit and automatically applies the brakes if the engineer doesn’t act to slow the train down.
The system is already being used for southbound trains approaching the curve where Tuesday’s derailment occurred.
Amtrak said it would abide by the federal directive and others announced Saturday, adding that Amtrak’s “overarching goal is to provide safe and secure rail passenger travel.”
The train was traveling from Washington, D.C., to New York when it flew off the tracks at Philadelphia. About 200 people were injured, and at least eight people remained in critical condition in Philadelphia hospitals Saturday. All were expected to survive.
The train was traveling from Washington, D.C., to New York when it flew off the tracks at Philadelphia. About 200 people were injured, and at least eight people remained in critical condition in Philadelphia hospitals Saturday. All were expected to survive.
Investigators have been looking into why the train hit the speed of about 106 mph in a 50 mph zone. The FBI also is looking into the possibility that the windshield of the train was hit by an object shortly before the train derailed. The engineer, who was injured in the crash, told authorities he did not recall anything in the few minutes before it happened.