(Source: Opinion column by Christopher Hart in the Philadelphia Inquirer, December 18, 2015. Mr. Hart is Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.)
PHILADELPHIA — During this holiday season, millions of Americans will ride on passenger railroads to be with family and friends. It’s certainly a very safe way to make the trip. But if all had gone as planned, travel by rail could have been even safer. That’s because a technology called positive train control (PTC) can detect imminent collisions and trains moving at excessive speeds. Humans can make errors, even on their best days, and PTC provides an extra safety net that slows or stops trains when their operators do not. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been urging that railroads explore and implement such technology for more than 45 years.
Full story: Philadelphia Inquirer