BIG LAKE, Minn. - New safety technology being installed along
some rail lines across the nation aims to prevent deadly train
crashes caused by human error. The technology is designed to
stop or slow a train automatically to prevent accidents, such as
a collision with another train or a derailment from excessive
speed. The changes stem from federal legislation passed in 2008
after a commuter train collided head-on with a freight train in
Chatsworth, Calif., killing 25 people and injuring 135. An
investigation found the Metrolink train driver was sending and
receiving text messages shortly before the crash. As a result,
Congress passed the Rail Safety Improvement Act, requiring
"positive train control" technology be implemented on all Class
I passenger lines and freight trains carrying certain hazardous
materials by 2015. Metrolink, a public entity that uses 388
miles of track in Southern California and owns 216 miles of it,
expects to become the first commuter rail to use the technology.
Positive train control