Advertisement

Safety Technology Could Have Prevented Amtrak Crash, Says NTSB

04:17
Download Audio
Resume
NTSB member Robert Sumwalt works on the scene of the Amtrak Train #188 derailment on May 13, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB member Robert Sumwalt works on the scene of the Amtrak Train #188 derailment on May 13, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (NTSB via Getty Images)

The investigation continues into the Amtrak passenger train crash in Philadelphia that killed eight people.

At a press conference yesterday, National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt talked about a safety system called "positive train control" that slows trains if they are going to fast.

"We feel that had such a system been installed in this section of track, this accident would not have occurred," he said. The NTSB has confirmed that the train was going 106 miles per hour when it entered a curve and then derailed.

Allan Zarembski, director of the Railroad Engineering and Safety Program at the University of Delaware, joins Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss positive train control and why it's been so hard to get that technology installed.

Guest

  • Allan Zarembski, director of the Railroad Engineering and Safety Program at the University of Delaware.

This segment aired on May 14, 2015.

Advertisement

More from Here & Now

Listen Live
Close