Page 26 - Train Control News Today

Some people. >> positive train control includes an element which is the communication based signaling. the systems have been in place since the 1800s and the type of signals and what they mean. communication based signaling would have direct input into the automatic train control. they group those together as positive train control. thats what they are talking about when they talk about automated train control. >> so why hasnt that been there? is this money? is it congress dragging their feet? w...

Two deadly accidents. if it was this easy why wasnt this done year ago? >> amtrak had an explanation in the press release or explanation to the media. they said they put it on one way on the train as opposed to positive train control. they put it on one way. they thought operationally it made sense one way but not the other because of the speed which one would be traveling over that particular track. but automatic train control the thing they said have now put on the track, its very old technolo...

Be able to regain his memory and clarify what he was thinking, what he was doing in the 20 or 30 seconds prior to entering that curve where he should have been slowing down from a speed of an excess of 70 miles an hour wherein fact he was speeding up. >> i guess on a positive note amtrak is going to install the speed controls and thats a good thing, right? >> well they said they are going to unveil them this week and that trains will starting this week have positive train control. and i do think...

Positive train control years ago and there were problems getting the right directcies to make this work? >> actually, the congressional deadline is at the end of this year but nevertheless, there have been delays with getting even to this point. >> at this point and i know it is a silly question to ask is mechanical malfunction is that the leading theory? is that the primary thing? or is the focus more on what happened inside the cab with the engineer just before the derailment? >> at this point...

>> well its not quite as cut and dried as all of that. in fact, if i could add some texture on some of your earlier discussion congress has already authorized what they call positive train control system to be in by the end of the year. the truth is, they already have something called automatic train control and thats what the ntsb and fra is insisting be put in place when they put this line back in place. automatic train control is what they call it, and its something that is not quite as compr...

Eliminate the threat. >> let me move to the amtrak derailment. some house republicans have been criticizing democrats -- not you by name -- but other democrats for policeticizing the derailment. do you think thats a fair critique? >> its a distraction. the united states of america is falling behind in terms of the quality of infrastructure. we have trillions of dollars of infrastructure debt right now. the accident we saw happen, which the ntsb says could have been prevented should we have had p...

This exact place. i can tell you that, you know, we all -- all engineers are independence in increased measures that will reduce risk like positive train control and that sort of technology. >> youre confident in this technology? >> well, let me put it to you this way. that technology is already an implementation in other locations and it has its applications. >> it works? are you saying it works in those places? >> well, ill say that the implication of it in this particular location, i would re...

This was supposed to have happened positive train control, years ago and there had been problems getting the right frequencies to make this work? >> the congressional deadline of course is at the end of this year but nevertheless there have been delays with getting even to this point. >> at some point and i know its maybe a silly question to ask an investigator is mechanical malfunction, is that the leading theory is that the primary thing youre looking at? or is the focus more on what happened ...

Signage with the speed limits for the engineers. amtrak has suggested on its website they said it has been 28 years since a fatality due to a derailment. they said the number of derailments has gone down from 80 to 28 annually since 2000 and emphasized they will be ensuring that they put in that next generation automatic train control system called positive train control on all their railroads by the end of the year as mandated by congress. the ntsbs lead investigator robert sumwald said they wi...

To the current circumstances that require now more americans to be put in harms way. i think this whole subject, the threat from irans nuclear weapons program needs to be at the center of the political debate over the next year. >> as always thank you for your insight and analysis. >> thank you. >> there is new fallout from this weeks deadly train crash in philadelphia. amtrak now saying itll expand the use of a speed control system near the crash site. thats a safeguard that automatically appli...