Current:Home > FinancePennsylvania train crash highlights shortcomings of automated railroad braking system -TruePath Finance
Pennsylvania train crash highlights shortcomings of automated railroad braking system
View
Date:2025-04-15 09:32:06
The collision of three Norfolk Southern trains in Pennsylvania early this month highlights the shortcomings of the automated braking system that was created to prevent such crashes.
None of the circumstances the National Transportation Safety Board described Tuesday in its preliminary report on the March 2 derailment would have triggered the automated positive train control system to stop the trains.
Not only was the system incapable of stopping the second train before it smashed into the back of a stopped train, but it also couldn’t stop the third train. It ran into the derailed cars blockings its track when it arrived less than a minute later.
“PTC today has not generally been designed to protect them in that situation,” railroad safety expert Chris Barkan said.
Congress required railroads to develop the positive train control system after a deadly 2008 collision between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth, California. That crash killed 25 people, including the Metrolink engineer, and injured more than 100. It took more than a decade and roughly $15 billion for the railroads to design and complete the system, but it only works in certain circumstances.
In this Pennsylvania crash, the eastbound train that smashed into a stopped train in Lower Saucon Township along the Lehigh River had slowed to 13 mph (21 kph) after passing a restricted speed signal. But without a stop signal, the braking system would not have been triggered.
The three railcars that derailed after that first collision blocked the adjacent track, and the third train smashed into them at about 22 mph (35 kph). The braking system relies on information from the railroad’s signals to stop a train, and it can’t detect when something is blocking the tracks. But given that the third train arrived less than a minute later, there wouldn’t have been enough time to stop it anyway.
Six railcars, including three carrying ethanol and butane residue, derailed along with two locomotives on the third train, sending the locomotives into the river. No hazardous materials spilled other than the diesel that leaked from the locomotives into the river. The seven crew members aboard the three trains had minor injuries.
Norfolk Southern estimated that the crashes caused $2.5 million damage, but the Atlanta-based railroad declined to comment on the NTSB’s preliminary report. The final report that will detail the cause won’t be completed for more than a year.
NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said preliminary information “suggests that PTC limitations were involved in the accident” and no mechanical problems have been found at this early stage.
The NTSB said its investigation will focus on the railroad’s rules, procedures and training. Norfolk Southern’s safety practices have been in the spotlight since one of its trains derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. That train released hazardous chemicals and caught fire in a derailment that prompted calls for changes in the industry that have largely stalled.
Federal regulations require crews operating a train in restricted speed areas to slow down enough that they will be able to stop within half the distance they can see. The NTSB said a light rain was falling at the time of the crash, but it didn’t say whether that impeded what the engineer and conductor could see. The report also didn’t say whether there were any curves or hills that made it hard for the crew to see the stopped train.
Barkan, who leads the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said a large number of collisions have occurred because crews failed to properly observe restricted speed.
veryGood! (48)
Related
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Residents told to evacuate or take shelter after Georgia chemical fire
- Powerball winning numbers for September 28: Jackpot at $258 million
- 'SNL' returns with Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz, Dana Carvey as President Biden
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Steelers' Minkah Fitzpatrick upset with controversial unnecessary roughness penalty in loss
- The 26 Most Popular Amazon Products This Month: Double Chin Masks, $1 Lipstick, Slimming Jumpsuits & More
- Earthquake registering 4.2 magnitude hits California south of San Francisco
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Montana man to be sentenced for cloning giant sheep to breed large sheep for captive trophy hunts
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- California wildfire flareup prompts evacuation in San Bernardino County
- In Alabama loss, Georgia showed it has offense problems that Kirby Smart must fix soon
- Don't put your money in the bank and forget about it. These tips can maximize your savings.
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- How often should you wash your dog? Bathe that smelly pup with these tips.
- 17 people have been killed in 2 mass shootings in the same street in South Africa
- Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor, dies at 88
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Shohei Ohtani's 50-50 game-worn pants will be included in Topps trading cards
Sister Wives: Christine Brown and Robyn Brown Have “Awkward” Reunion
WNBA playoffs: Players to watch in the semifinal round
In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
Over 90,000 Georgia residents sheltering a day after chemical plant fire sends chlorine into the air
Vance criticized an infrastructure law as a candidate then embraced it as a senator
College Football Misery Index: Ole Miss falls flat despite spending big