Track: Bringing Rail Safety into the 21st Century” finds that about 73 percent of all derailments between 2011 and 2014 resulted from faulty track condition and human er- ror, and worse, that unless those issues are dealt with, such incidents are likely to keep on happening. Here is a list of the study’s recommendations: (1) Increase the use of commercially avail-
able technologies to continuously monitor track, equipment, and roadbed conditions. (2) Conduct more effective, more frequent track and rail inspections. (3) Implement “operational and technolog-
ical improvements to reduce the likelihood of accidents caused by human error.” (4) Determine and make policies and pen-
alties for rail owners and operators who are subject to, but fail to meet, the federal dead- line of December 31, 2015, for implementa- tion of positive train control (PTC).
Speaking of Which…
A report from the Federal Railroad Adminis- tration (FRA) says (no surprise here) for the most part the PTC deadline will not be met. The FRA report — required by Congress — says that of the 41 railroads required to make the federally mandated PTC deadline at the end of this year, only 11 are expected to come in under the wire. Which brings to mind the May 12 Amtrak accident in Philadelphia that killed eight and injured more than 200 people. (Amtrak, by the way, is one of the 11 expected to make the New Year’s Eve safety mandate.)
The Injured: Where Do They Stand?
Some, and perhaps many, of the injured in the Amtrak accident may have problems col- lecting enough money in their lawsuits to pay for the injuries. Amtrak says it won’t contest the lawsuits. However, that may be of small comfort
to some victims whose claims for damages may reach to the stratosphere. And there are legal limits as to how much money the victims can collect from railroad accidents. The purpose of such limits is to prevent rail- roads from having to shut down because of accident liability claims.
All Aboard Florida Advances
All Aboard Florida, the privately financed Orlando-to-Miami passenger train operation, planned to market $1.75 billion in tax-exempt bonds following a 3-to-0 unprecedented vote by a commission authorizing the company to proceed with its 16 round-trips a day. The bonds are to be purchased by private inves- tors with no cost to the taxpayers.
New Midwest Passenger Service?
The FRA has issued a regional plan for the Midwest. The planning efforts that have been chosen focus on beefing up the Ohio-to-Chica- go corridor. That is not surprising. Long-dis- tance trains headed between the east coast and Chicago operate in that state in the mid- dle of the night at very inconvenient hours for Ohio passengers. Several states were in the planning for daytime service on that stretch of track and in the Midwest generally.
WES VERNON IS A WASHINGTON WRITER and veteran broadcast journalist. You can reach him with questions or comments at
capitollines@railfan.com.
Railroads of Milwaukee By John Kelly
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