The Wreck of Amtrak 188
Can I ask a stupid(?) question: So this Positive train control system seems super complicated. Dedicated radio frequencies, track signal loops, and so on. And all this complexity has been holding it up for years...<p>So my question is this: Car navigation as a problem set is similar but massively harder than train navigation. My car can tell me speed limits, which lane to be in, and knows information about all major roads in the area.<p>Why don&#x27;t trains have a Google Maps-like system? You have 1&#x2F;100th fewer &quot;roads,&quot; you have directional assurances, you have speed limits set by a single authority (no city, state, federal distinction, etc), and so on.<p>Heck if you&#x27;ve played Train Simulator you KNOW that they have all of this route information digitised somewhere. So why not just throw it in an app, hook up GPS, and get it deployed tomorrow instead of ten years from now?<p>Is this a classic example of over-engineering the problem?