Amtrak didn’t install an older system that would have prevented the crash
Congress had mandated that a new “positive train control” automatic braking system be installed on all passenger and major freight railroads by December 31 of this year. Had that system been in place in Philadelphia, the Amtrak disaster would not have happened.
However, it turns out that if an already-existing, older and less sophisticated system had been in place, that would have prevented the crash as well. But Amtrak had decided not to install it on that side of the curve, although it had been in place for years on the other side of the same curve. Their reasoning was as follows:
If Amtrak Train 188 had been heading to Philadelphia from New York City, it would not have derailed at the sharp Frankford Junction curve, because an automatic braking mechanism has been in place for years on the southbound side of the tracks to stop a speeding train.
But Amtrak never installed the same electronics on the northbound side, so Train 188 was able to enter the curve where the speed limit is 50 m.p.h. at more than 100 m.p.h.
Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman said in an interview that the lack of the automatic-braking control on one side of the curve was “a loophole” that he was unaware of until Train 188 derailed Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 200.
He said that the railroad had not installed automatic-braking technology on the northbound side of the curve under the assumption that trains just leaving 30th Street Station would be slower than those barreling south from New York.
So this was a judgment call made years ago, and until last week the call had seemed reasonable.
We still don’t know what caused the crash, but we do know that the train actually sped up considerably as it approached the curve. The engineer is said to have sustained a concussion and lost his memory of the events that preceded the crash, and the investigation proceeds.
Amtrak has been bankrupt nearly since its inception, so these calls and games are all about trying to get more money for a unionize rail that will use everything you give it for benefits, and unions and will avoid doing any of those fixes as when they do, they no longer have a reason for more money… which is why you dont hear anyone on the left asking what did you do with what we gave you.
What Amtrak Spends Its Money On
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/418396/what-amtrak-spends-its-money-kevin-d-williamson
Before the bodies had been pulled out of the wreckage, Democrats were preaching the poor-mouth about Amtrak funding, often dishonestly.
As has already been pointed out, everything from the stimulus bill to regular appropriations has spent billions of dollars on Amtrak, and Amtrak still failed to install the speed-control system that was supposed to be completed this year
and so, they did exactly what i said… got the money for the fix, did not apply the fix so they could argue they need the money for the fix…
housing authority in ny does the same thing… they recently got caught in hoarding supplies they did not use, then auctioning them off, so that they could get more supplies. by not using them they get to get the blacks and others that vote for them to squeel louder and the talking points then turn to evil people with no sway and pull denied them these things.
EVER notice how every communist regime, from lenin, stalin, mao, kim jong, castro, che, maduro, kirchner, chavez, and on and on ALWAYS explains things in terms of paranoia of the conspiracies that cause their failure like Bugs Bunnies Gremlin that tries to take the plane apart and that no one else can see?
http://looneytunes.wikia.com/wiki/File:Looney_Tunes_Gremlin.jpg
[my fav is the Gremlin pounding on the end of a WWII bomb not caring what will come next]
Where does Amtrak spend its money? Almost every dime of ticket revenue is spent on personnel – salaries, benefits, bonuses, etc.
Amtrak can’t be bothered to finish up a safety system on time. But did Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman ever miss a nickel of his $350,000-a-year salary? No. Did Amtrak fail to pay employee bonuses? No–in fact, it paid bonuses to people who weren’t even eligible for them, and then refused to rescind them once it was pointed out that they were unauthorized.
One can’t help but wonder if we are having a German copilot scenario repeat.
For the most part, the money is used by the unions to fund various extra legal black ops and various surface level onion operations for the ultimate purposes of the Leftist alliance. It’s a kind of money laundering system between the lawyers, the public service unions, and the politicians.
Mr Frank: One can’t help but wonder if we are having a German copilot scenario repeat.”
And, that is perhaps why the engineer spoke with a lawyer BEFORE talking to NTSB officials.
I’d do the same before, no pun intended, being “railroaded” by the powers that be.
Now, there are reports of something hitting trains in that area.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it was a rock or something thrown at the engineer that caused him to speed up just before the crash.
I’ve been on Amtrak through the Northeast corridor and in some cities, in certain neighborhoods, it is not uncommon for “kids” to throw rocks at the passing train.
All in the name of fun and games. It isn’t just the cops they throw rocks at.