Despite Available Safety Technology, Another Fatal Train Derailment
As Federal investigators look for the cause of the Amtrak derailment in Washington, that left three dead and dozens hospitalized, the question still remains – with the available technology, why are train derailments still occurring with such frequency? The brand new train traveled its maiden voyage on upgraded tracks 50 miles south of Seattle and suddenly left the tracks careening off an overpass onto I-5. Investigators confirmed that the train was traveling 80 mph while attempting to handle a curve with a 30-mph speed limit. The black box recovered from the rear push engine indicated that there was no attempt at manual braking by the operator, [...]
