Page 27 - Train Control News Today

All right. so amtrak has been told to beef up some of its safety requirements including speed limits on northbound trains through that area. so mary, to you first, explain what is being required and how would that happen now? >> well in many ways whats being required is what has been required by legislation all along, and amtrak has been working on getting in place this system called positive train control. and they have committed to have it in place by the end of the year and they have it on ma...

With republicans, i think it revealed a bias. i have no issues with george he is a nice guy, but everybody has political views. >> you went on his show? >> i went on his show plenty of times, and, look i am used to that. the way i would look at the situation is he just basically revealed that he is who he was, and you know, and is that person. most people most conservatives expect this but i think he probably should have used and exercised better judgment because he is supposed to be objective, ...

>> on amtrak funding has decreased over the last few years for amtrak. do you think in light of this recent crash where the ntsb has said that positive train control, this ability using gps to slow a train if it becomes out of control, if theres some emergency with a conductor, that this could have prevented this crash? >> let me just say this. to suggest and insinuate that this tragedy could have been avoided or would have been avoided had congress had some more spending or had congress had a d...

Growing economy. not just when something bad happens like a bridge collapse or train derailment. but all the time. >> reporter: now democrats argue that insufficient funding led to this ptc system known as positive train control which was not implemented and could have potentially prevented this derailment. republicans have been pushing back on this all week, pointing to technical conditions with the federal communications that says its not about funding. bill schuster told cnn this week that it...

Just given could potentially be that very good reason. otherwise, youre in the realm of negligence or potentially criminal negligence or god forbid an intentional act i dont think theres been any evidence to suggest that it was intentional. but from a legal perspective, those would be the things that the investigators are looking at trying to find out whether or not this was something that was criminal or something that was simply an accident or perhaps a result of some third partys criminal mis...

And i find this entire spectacle ghoulish and outrageous. talk about positive train control which was not on that -- was not missing from that train because of a lack of funding. it was a technological issue but the idea that this accident makes the case for high speed rail on the west coast is absolutely insane. all high speed rail does is loses money at three times the rate of conventional rail. >> the numbers dont lie. these are government agencies, nonpartisan agencies, chuck that have said,...

That had train from going so fast into that turn. so its not happening and thats the great up fortunate part about what is going on in congress right now. >> but sir may i ask you positive rain control, that was something that was mandated after the 2008 chatsworth crash. you can tell us how the mapndate came about and how it has not yet been implemented? >> amtrak was on schedule to complete the positive train control by the end of this year. and i think they would have done it. unfortunately, ...

Have these technologies in place, at least the positive train control, by the end of the year. julie? >> thank you very much. that safety system he was speaking about a calmed positive train control, and in 2008 congress actually mandated that amtrak install that nationwide but unfortunately, there are many tracks that still do not have that in place. why? what can congress do to make our tracks safer? well have much much more on this when joined by congressman jeff denim of california. he is ch...

Recorders as well as amizing the brakes to determine if there are any mechanical failures that are also contributing to this, poppy. >> and why is it that all trains, all of these routes do not have that mandated technology that is in some places a ptc, to slow them down if they are going 106 miles an hour into a curve, and it seems in air travel that would be mandatory for any airplane that you get on to have a safety precaution like that, and why not all of these trains? >> well, we know that ...

Washington. the ntsb the reconstructing the train as part of their investigation. in addition, amtrak is hoping they can get service back up and running between philly and new york on tuesday. alex, back to you. >> tom, what is your read on the ntsbs report of their talk with the trains engineer? because didnt they say he was very cooperative? >> reporter: very cooperative and offered to come back. he was sitting with his attorney, and thats very common in these incidents. he also turned over hi...