There is already a development in the horrible train accident investigation that happened in Los Angeles.
And as if equaling the magnitude of horror to this now the worst train collision in the state in the last half century – a federal investigator said that the engineer of the commuter train did not apply brakes even after he drove through a red signal.
While according to the same investigation, the driver of the other train, a 17-car Union Pacific freight train, did slam on his breaks.
The National Transportation Safety Board is the agency investigating the accident.
The investigation revealed that only four seconds passed from the time the freight train engineer saw the approaching 3-car Metrolink train until the impact – then the worst rail accident happened.
The accident left 25 people dead and more than 130 people injured.
Still, the root cause of the accident is yet to be determined. One thing is certain though, the signaling equipment was properly working at the time of the accident.
If there is any good that can come out of this disaster, it is that the accident now becomes an eye-opener on the call to advance the technology on the rail. At its current state, the investigators are questioning whether the engineers actually saw each other and the signaling equipment.
Authorities and concerned personalities are now pushing to expand the use of the so-called “positive train control” collision avoidance systems using satellites, transponders and other technology that automatically stops the train when there is an impending collision.
I, personally, support this move, if only to avoid future railroad accidents of this magnitude. This may just be considered a whisper in the woods but a million whispers get to be heard sometimes.
And as if equaling the magnitude of horror to this now the worst train collision in the state in the last half century – a federal investigator said that the engineer of the commuter train did not apply brakes even after he drove through a red signal.
While according to the same investigation, the driver of the other train, a 17-car Union Pacific freight train, did slam on his breaks.
The National Transportation Safety Board is the agency investigating the accident.
The investigation revealed that only four seconds passed from the time the freight train engineer saw the approaching 3-car Metrolink train until the impact – then the worst rail accident happened.
The accident left 25 people dead and more than 130 people injured.
Still, the root cause of the accident is yet to be determined. One thing is certain though, the signaling equipment was properly working at the time of the accident.
If there is any good that can come out of this disaster, it is that the accident now becomes an eye-opener on the call to advance the technology on the rail. At its current state, the investigators are questioning whether the engineers actually saw each other and the signaling equipment.
Authorities and concerned personalities are now pushing to expand the use of the so-called “positive train control” collision avoidance systems using satellites, transponders and other technology that automatically stops the train when there is an impending collision.
I, personally, support this move, if only to avoid future railroad accidents of this magnitude. This may just be considered a whisper in the woods but a million whispers get to be heard sometimes.
