(The following was published as a “Letter to the Editor” in the August 16 edition of the Washington Post.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — While we must await the National Transportation Safety Board’s report for definitive analysis of the Amtrak derailment in Kensington, it would be surprising if the cause was CSX failure to observe an elementary principle such as the need to allow for rail expansion in hot weather [letters, Aug. 6].
The more likely cause was a too-rapid lifting of the “slow” order following work on the track done the day before the accident. In severe heat, the track structure needs to be at its strongest, to resist the compression stress that builds up in the rails. This is unlikely to be the case so soon after track work.
However, our association believes that the “slow” orders CSX imposed after the accident were too sweeping and caused a deterioration in overall safety, as discouraged passengers left trains for automobiles, whose safety record is far worse.
ROSS B. CAPON
Executive Director
National Association of Railroad Passengers
Washington