WASHINGTON -- The deadly Amtrak derailment near Philadelphia appears to be yet another accident that didn't have to happen.
It could have been avoided if a long-sought safety technology had been installed on its tracks and trains, according to information gathered by accident investigators.
Seven years ago, Congress gave Amtrak and freight and commuter railroads until the end of this year to install the technology, called positive train control, on their trains and tracks. But few, if any, railroads are expected to meet the deadline. Now lawmakers are proposing to give railroads another five to seven years to get the task done.
The technology uses GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train position. It can automatically brake to prevent derailments due to excessive speed, collisions with other trains, trains entering track where maintenance is being done or going the wrong way because of a switching mistake.
It's all aimed at preventing human error, which is responsible for about 40 per cent of train accidents.
A preliminary review of the Amtrak train's event data recorder shows it was travelling at 106 mph (170 kph) in an 80 mph zone just before it entered a curve where the speed limit is 50 mph, National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said Wednesday. The train's engineer applied maximum braking power seconds before the crash, but it was too late.
"We feel that had such a system been installed in this section of track, this accident would not have occurred," Sumwalt told reporters.
At least seven people were killed and about 200 injured in the derailment.
Not counting Tuesday's derailment, the NTSB has investigated 29 passenger and freight train accidents that officials say could have been prevented by positive train control since 2004. Sixty-eight people died and more than 1,100 were injured in those crashes.
The board has been urging installation of the technology, or its precursors, for 45 years.
In 2008, a month after a commuter train and a freight train collided in California, killing 25 people, Congress passed a law requiring that positive train control be installed by Dec. 31, 2015. But railroads have long complained that complications will prevent them from meeting that deadline.
In March, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a bill that would give railroads until 2020 to install the technology, and another two years after that if they need more time.
Three years ago, Amtrak announced it expected to finish installing positive train control throughout its busy Northeast Corridor by the end of 2012.
Amtrak officials didn't reply to questions from The Associated Press about why the technology hadn't been installed on the Philadelphia tracks where the derailment took place.
One of the obstacles is the cost to industry of implementing positive train control, estimated in the billions of dollars. A Republican-controlled House panel approved deep spending cuts to Amtrak's budget on Wednesday just hours after the Philadelphia accident. An attempt by Democratic lawmakers to boost Amtrak spending by $1 billion was rejected.
