Federal Railroad Administration chief: New technology would have prevented crash

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman just finished a teleconference with reporters about positive train control systems. That is the technology that can stop trains from colliding, should engineers miss signals or should there be other problems.

The NTSB has criticized the FRA for being slow to implement such systems across the U.S.

Some highlights of the teleconference:

1. "This system would have stopped the train before there would have been a collision," he said, referring to Friday's accident.

2. He indicated that implementing positive train control systems across the U.S. would cost in excess of $2 billion. "We have steady progress; the progress is not as fast as we would like or they [the NTSB] would like" and then added later, "There's no disagreement on the safety benefits. While cost is a challenge, it's not a crucial factor all of the time. The crucial factor is making sure that this is a system that works."

3. Boardman said that Metra, the commuter rail system in Chicago, has received approval to begin testing a system that could work for Metrolink here.

4. He said that having positive train control systems blanketing the rail network in the lower 48 states could be done within five years. The big obstacles, he said, are cost, securing radio frequencies for the systems, and getting systems that are inter-operable but won't needlessly stop trains -- and know how to stop trains of different size and weights.

CORRECTION, 1:35 p.m.: Boardman said that resolving the issues involved in blanketing the country could be done within five years. At that point implementation of the technology would begin.

5. Boardman also said there is a bill before Congress, HR 2095, that mentions positive train control systems. The House version of the bill mandates railroads to implement such systems by 2014.

6. Boardman said that on Metrolink, it's up to the engineer to see the signals and respond accordingly. Some locomotives in other parts of the country also show the signals in the cab of the locomotive. Although he said he wasn't positive about everything in a Metrolink cab, he said those cabs likely just have an "alerter [the engineer] had to hit now and then to make sure the operator was awake and paying attention."

RELATED: My colleague Dan Weikel and I wrote a story about positive train control for Sunday's editions.

-- Steve Hymon

photo: Federal Railroad Administration

Comments

[r rzasa]

as a freight engineer, the company would love a one man crew. we still have an engineer and a conductor in the cab. with two sets of eyes, we are double the safety!! what happened in the cab in cali died with the sole occupant. keep two people there!

[andrew g]

...implementing positive train control systems across the U.S. would cost in excess of $2 billion...how much would it cost to put the conductor in the lead locomotive? this unfortunate event could've been avoided if there was another HUMAN BEING in the engine. if there was another person in the metrolink engine this may have been avoided. i'm hearing all about text mesaging and rest cycles for the engineer, but if he had a heart attack or was incompacitated in some way there wouldve been nobody to stop the train. another person, although it would cost metrolink extra wages couldve saved the accident from happening...just my thoughts

[PATRICK HENRY]

TRUE, BUT WHAT IS NEEDED IN THE USA IS A LAW THAT WHOULD BAN ALL OUT SOURCE LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS ENFORCEED BY THE FRA. A LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER MUST BE A PERMIT LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER EMPLOYEE OF THE GIVEN RAILROAD THAT IS QUALIFYED FOR FRIGHT OR PASSENGER SERVICE. I WONDER ABOUT THE OUT SOURSE ENGINEER'S TRACK RECORED. I'M A RETIRED LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER OF 43 1/2 YEARS SERVICE OF FRIGHT & PASSENGER SERVICE WITH A EXCELLENT SAFETY RECORD.

[Shaun]

Hasn't the FRA been getting screwed over the years in the budget section of their industry? (NOT that I am condoning the excuses or the horrific accident Friday, however, wouldn't proper dispersment of said monies have fixed the situation, as Mr. Boardman seems to suggest?

[Kymberleigh Richards]

By all means, let the public look at my comments in the past. They will see that, contrary to the picture Mr. Goodmon paints, I have only attacked those who second guess the cause of accidents.

If those who cannot wait for official investigations to be completed must post, then they are the true inhibitors of rail safety. Because it is only by those investigations that the true causes of incidents become known and the proper measures taken to prevent (hopefully) them from reoccurring.

The difference between myself and Mr. Goodmon is that I deal in fact, not in rhetoric. And I have more than ten years' of experience and credibility because of that. If you google Mr. Goodmon, you will indeed find many of his statements online, just as you will find if you google my name. But I do not use "scare tactics" to try to get my way.

I also do not use tragedy to promote myself or my organization. Anyone who googles my name can find who I am affiliated with; I do not have to include it at the end of my posts here.

Therefore, my original statement stands. Mr. Goodmon is taking advantage of this unfortunate situation to promote himself. I am not.

[Harold reimann]

Why are they banning cell phones for engineers? Wasn't that the problem? If not, can't we hire engineers who can stop at red lights? If hispanics can't, don't hire them. But the democrats want to throw money instead of correcting a human flaw.

[Damien Goodmon]

Actually Kymberleigh, it was more of a reference to how individuals like yourself have attacked and opposed people like me who have been trying to get the transportation agencies in this region to take rail safety seriously.

I'm telling people to google my name so they can read not my posts, but the posts of so-called transit advocates minimizing and discounting the importance of rail safety. Many of those post have your name as the author. You have proudly opposed efforts to address rail safety issues.

The true shame is some, such as yourself are more intent on providing these agencies "the cover to do what they want" (that was one of the advocate's quote), instead of providing the needed critical and principled advocacy that makes the agencies do their duties.

When you become concerned about rail safety, shot me an email. Until then you have nothing to contribute to this conversation other than your condolences and apologies.

[Kymberleigh Richards]

I cannot help but note that Mr. Goodmon is taking advantage of a tragedy to promote himself.

For shame.

[spokker]

"It's sad that it takes this type of incident to have more state as much."

Yeah, it's sad, but historically many safety improvements are implemented after fatal accidents. It took a lot of deaths to convince us that seatbelts were something that we should require cars to come with.

I saw a documentary on rail safety and it seems that every improvement in safety measures came after tragic wrecks, employee deaths, and other accidents.

You can prepare for the worst as much as you can, but sometimes it takes a wreck to show you what you're lacking.

[ourpark]

I was those fortunate to see my spouse back safe from her commute to downtown that afternoon. I give my condolescence to those who are still mourning from that tragedy accident that could have been prevented.

As I have spend a good decade of my life over-seas, and when I returned recently I have realized how we have resolved to “third world” mentality. We are behind many countries that at one time were considered third world. We only look into profits for companies (CEOs) rather than investment of infrastructure for the future. It is evident in “brown outs, despicable schools, dysfunctional heath system, delapidated roads, insufficient communications trunk, energy crisis, etc.” Before we used to engineer redundancies, robustness into systems for human safety, and now for $ we have resorted to cutting corners or instead for cost avoidance.

We worry about environmental worries and yet we don’t invest in people who are already living and thriving. It takes too many years to invest because of wrangling of regulatory and other interests. At the same time other countries are investing into new concepts and methodologies for their future generations. I would like to see some leadership position who is not keen to political party ideology but for the interest of the people. Let’s get our country back to her luster!

[Damien Goodmon]

"This tragic accident is bringing out into the open something which transit system operators, designers, planners and experts from all over the world have known for years---that the entire Los Angeles system has been built on the cheap, big-time (and this includes the Metro subway and light rail, in addition to the MetroLink commuter lines)."

"It is why we have lines that don't necessarily serve the most people and places (because it cost less to use existing old freight and Red Car rights of way, even if they don't go exactly where they need to). It is why we have the highest per-capita fatality rate of any transit system in the nation (because it is cheaper to build at-grade instead of elevated or subway configurations, and because the MTA cut corners on various types of safety technologies)."

I could not agree more.

It's sad that it takes this type of incident to have more state as much.

I've been working tirelessly and for free to try and convince those who know just as much as you profess to join in efforts to demand of our elected leadership adequate funding our transportation projects, and implement a strategy that attempts to broaden the transit advocacy coalition instead of demonizing individuals and communities, who at the end of the day are not the decision makers.

You can google my name and read the posts on the blogs including this one from the "transit advocates" in this region and to see how a vocal group that is far too willing to participate in this ridiculous exercise than challenge the political leadership and region.

Damien Goodmon
www.FIXexpo.org

[Spokker]

"But it remains another example of the folly of California's voters, taxpayers and politicians"

I think we are all to blame as a society. Our car culture, our aversion to transit, our politics. It's an insurmountable achievement to build a rail line in LA, much less equip it with all the bells and whistles we desire.

I love the idea of Positive Train Control. I would like to see it on every track in the world. I hope this accident results in PTC being installed in more places.

But we accepted our rail network the way it was. We accepted that the current signaling system was safe, and I still think it's relatively safe. I think I've said before, your car does not automatically stop when you run a red.

Anyway, there's been a lot of emotion, anger, confusion, and above all, grief all around. Tempers are flaring, and I am guilty of that.

I just want to see rail work in Southern California.

[LKitsch]

This tragic accident is bringing out into the open something which transit system operators, designers, planners and experts from all over the world have known for years---that the entire Los Angeles system has been built on the cheap, big-time (and this includes the Metro subway and light rail, in addition to the MetroLink commuter lines).

It is why we have lines that don't necessarily serve the most people and places (because it cost less to use existing old freight and Red Car rights of way, even if they don't go exactly where they need to). It is why we have the highest per-capita fatality rate of any transit system in the nation (because it is cheaper to build at-grade instead of elevated or subway configurations, and because the MTA cut corners on various types of safety technologies).

I guess you can't blame our transit agencies completely---they made do with the limited resources they were given. But it remains another example of the folly of California's voters, taxpayers and politicians: that somehow there is such a thing as a free lunch.