 Yesterday, the National Transportation Safety Board released the speed records of the Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia. The data showed that the train was speeding along a track curve at 100 miles an hour, twice the zone's speed limit. Similar accidents like this have happened before. In 2013, a Metro North train derailed after going almost three times the speed limit, killing four and injuring 61 people. And every time accidents like these occur, the same three words come up. Positive train control. Positive train control. Or PTC is a technology that's been around for years, and it's very effective at making train travel safer. It uses a combination of radios and GPS signals to coordinate trains and act as a failsafe for their operators, holding safe speeds on curves and other slow sections, all the while maintaining a safe distance between trains. The system started gaining traction in 2008 after a Metrolink commuter train crashed into a freight car due to human error. The NTSB investigation concluded that the PTC system would have prevented the crash, and a month later the U.S. Rail Safety Improvement Act was signed, mandating that the positive train control system be fully implemented in all passenger trains by the end of 2015. Unfortunately, major forces in the locomotive industry have deemed 2015 as an unrealistic date. In a 2014 report, the Association of American Railroads cited that a 2015 deadline would be impossible for them to meet due to various technical and non-technical challenges. The PTC system isn't cheap either, and financing the program has been hard to come by considering recent budget cuts. But it's not all bad news, though. Seven years since the Metrolink crash, the PTC system has been active on over 100 miles of track in California, and the federal government has recently approved a $1 billion loan to the MTA to develop their positive train control system along with other improvements. With Amtrak experiencing ever-increasing ridership, more lives are relying on safe train travel than ever before. The positive train control system has its hurdles, but its ability to prevent accidents is undisputed. The cost of safe train travel should never include a life.