Work is continuing in Virginia to install Positive Train Control (PTC) onto railroad tracks that experts say could have prevented many recent, fatal train accidents, such as in Hoboken, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Virginia Rail Express (VRE), a popular commuter rail line in the state and in the metro Washington DC area, stated in early March 2017 that it […]
Virginia Rail Express Adding Safety Technology to Rail Lines
BNSF Railroad Pleads for US Government to Pay for Life Saving Train Technology
A leading freight railroad has been urging Congress to pay for passenger railroad companies to install positive train control or PTC on all passenger trains. BNSF Railway has been one of the leading companies promoting the use of PTC, a technology that will slow a train down automatically that is going over the speed limit. PTC will eventually be required […]
New Jersey Transit Approves Funds for Postive Train Control
In the wake of a deadly commuter train crash in a busy Hoboken, New Jersey train station, New Jersey Transit has approved a budget that includes funding for large parts of positive train control (PTC) system, which would include an automatic braking system that could automatically stop a train in an emergency situation. New Jersey Transit approved an agreement for […]
New York Work Train Sideswipes Passenger Train, Injuring 29
A long Island Railroad work train sideswiped a New York passenger train on the evening of Oct. 8, injuring 30. While there were no life threatening injuries reported, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano did stated that some of the injuries included broken bones and concussions. The passenger train involved in the railroad crash was the train that leaves at 8:22 […]
New Jersey Train Station Crash Kills 1, Injures 100
A New Jersey Transit train crashed and derailed as it arrive into Hoboken Terminal just before 9 am on Thursday morning. The rush hour train crash killed one person and injured more than 100. Images posted on social media showed that the train tore through a wall and severely damaged the station, leaving train debris strewn about and twisted metal […]
Railroads Sluggish to Adopt Safety Technology as Deadline Passes
Many commuter and freight railroads continue to be slow to adopt safety technology that could prevent deadly crashes and derailments. This is in spite of the fact that that Congress has mandated that railroads install positive train control or PTC. PTC uses digital radio signals, GPS and signals on tracks to monitor the position of trains. It has the ability […]
3 Railroad Employees Missing After Head-On Crash in Texas
Two BNSF freight trains slammed into each other on the same track outside of Amarillo TX, with at least one railroad worker injured and three missing. According to a spokesman for the Carson County TX sheriff’s office, the chances of finding the missing crew members alive is low. The two train crash happened at 8:25 central time on Tuesday near […]
Most Railroads Won’t Meet Deadline For New Safety Technology
By Richard Shapiro, Railroad Accident Attorney Only a few railroads will come close to meeting a new federal deadline to install new safety technology that may prevent some crashes. Some of those crashes include derailments due to excessive speed, such as the deadly Amtrak wreck in Philadelphia last May. Just three railroads have turned in their safety plans to the […]