Metrolink safety measures under consideration
Metrolink CEO David Solow has prepared a three-page memo for the Metrolink board, updating members on several safety measures the agency is pursuing in the wake of the Sept. 12 crash that killed 25 people. I mentioned this briefly in the previous post about the spat at the Metro board meeting this morning. It goes without saying this is more important and deserves its own post.
The memo outlines three safety steps that the agency is pursuing. The Times has written about all this previously, but this is a good update.
Here's a little detail about all of them:
1. Automated train stop devices (ATS). These devices help stop a train that runs a red signal and they're already present on a stretch of track in southern Orange County. It's an old technology and Solow writes that Metrolink is looking at putting ATS in about 50 high-risk areas of track until it can be replaced with a better technology called positive train control. As part of this effort, Solow writes: "Staff has also recommended two additional signal improvement programs. First, staff recommends accelerating the conversion of 650 signal lamps from incandescent bulbs to light emitting diodes (LED) since LEDs improve the visibility and reliability of the signals, at a cost of $1 million."
2. Additional set of eyes. Solow writes that the agency will need money to continue past mid-November its effort to put a second engineer or staffer in the cab of locomotives. He proposes hiring more engineers, conductors and fare collectors at a cost of about $6 million over the next two years. If this is done, Solow writes that by mid-2009 about 75 percent of trains operating on single track in areas with ATS will have a second set of eyes to watch the tracks and signals.
3. Video cameras for locomotives and cab cars. Solow writes that it will cost about $400,000 to put inward-facing video cameras in the cab of locomotives and the engineer's booth in cab cars that are in the front of trains when they're being pushed by the locomotive. The cameras, of course, allow Metrolink to keep tabs on engineers and to ensure they're running the train and not, for example, playing with their cellphones.
Solow writes that the total cost of all three safety measures will be between $10.6 million and $12.6 million. Metro (a.k.a. the MTA) is kicking in about $5 million and the other four county transportation agencies that are part of Metrolink will also likely contribute money. The voter-approved transportation bond Prop 1B may also be another source of funds, Solow writes.
All the above will be discussed at Friday's meeting of the Metrolink board in Los Angeles. The agenda can be viewed online. The three-page report from Solow begins on Page 80.
