Page 34 - Train Control News Today

Something were interested in trying to understand, why was the train going that fast? >> reporter: soon after graduating college in 2006 bostian worked as a conductor for several years, according to his linkedin profile, began working for amtrak as an engineer in 2010. cnn is told he spent about a year working as an amtrak contractor for caltrain in california. his neighbor in new york spoke to cnn. >> he liked it. he was happy. was happy with his job. >> reporter: amtraks ceo says positive trai...

Inefficient rail system hurt us and created a tragedy. but its about a lack of investment and lack of planning of general infrastructure in general. >> do you agree with the ntsb that if we had positive train control of that section of track this probably wouldnt have happened? >> absolutely. positive train control has been on the ntsbs most wanted list for about 45 years. positive train control would have stopped this accident. but theres so many other simple things, like just having two crew m...

His cell phone, and calling 911. the speed, we know bostian was going more than 50 miles above the speed limit there. meanwhile, an eighth body has also been recovered from the wreckage today. cnn has just confirmed with the family members that robert gildersleeve is among the victims. hes a father of two. hed been listed as missing. he was traveling to new york on business. cnn aviation government regulation correspondent rené marsh spoke to amtrak ceo about what the investigation has revealed...

Was still going 102. listen now to the ntsb explain. >> moments before the derailment the train was placed into engineer induced braking and this means that the engineer applied full emergency, full emergency brake application. >> aside from speed, investigators are looking at equipment. the train was relatively new with no major history of mechanical issues but that stretch of track is the most heavily used and authorities acre knowledge there had is trouble keeping it in good repair. the junct...

Engineer, if the train seems to have not noticed a signal or if the train is speeding right? if the train engineer doesnt respond to that signal positive train control can override the human. override that locomotive engineer and automatically slow the train down or stop the train by remote control. this sort of system does require equipment upgrades to trains, putting a lot of basic train infrastructure on the grid. it requires some gps technology. this is not like learning to live on mars righ...

These two women were catapulted up into the luggage rack. >> everyone was just gushing blood. everyone was screaming. it was such a state of panic. >> this train was going 106 miles an hour in a 50-mile-an-hour zone. >> the man at the center this is that engineer. >> clearly he was reckless and irresponsible. >> to make comments like that is inflammatory at this point. >> positive train control, its a very expensive braking system. >> it was not in place in this part of the track. if it had been...

Like, you know, hydrogen powered cars and jet packs and futuristically hypermodern stuff, just some basic systematic safety upgrades that would take advantage of the fact that we are now a society that has things like computing machines and gps. this is not the most high-tech stuff. what they mandated for the u.s. rail system is something called positive train control. a very basic avoidance system that reduces stupid operator error or a train conductor having a heart attack at the engine. it re...

Reasons, use of cell phones sleep apnea, medication problems illegal drug problems. we dont know in this case but im saying in crashes passed. so they will have to find that out. and if its problems of distracted workplace or medical issues et cetera they will make recommendations for that. and then of course they will also be looking at why this train when amtrak had put it on other parts didnt have the positive train control. the short answer to that is the law says it has to be done by the en...

Two months past his 20th birthday. >> he was his high school valedictorian and just finishing up his second year as midshipman at the united states naval academy. >> 39-year-old rachel jacobs had tested her husband at 8:45 telling him she had just caught the train. ceo of a philadelphia tech startup commuting from her home in new york. 49-year-old jim gaines worked for the associated press doing digital video. wells fargo confirmed abid gilani is also among the dead. the number of deaths is like...

Its a project we as humans have been doing for over 100 years, right? >> without a doubt. its evolved from train safety 100 years ago, where there were no signals, trains relied on their schedule, their schedule told them where they should be. if the schedule said, you werent supposed to be there, then the train that was supposed to be there just assumed you werent. now we have snams. and those signals help -- its a big improvement. and then, of course, were evolving into positive train control ...