2 reported dead after Amtrak train derails in Chester (PA)

[SW]

Happened at 7:53 this morning...Amtrak #89 NYC > Savannah hit a backhoe...
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/real ... ester.html

[Jetlink]

Locomotive looks to have proved its crash worthiness. The backhoe is just obliterated. That's saying something. They aren't exactly built for light duty. Sad day.

[SW]

Heard a later report on the radio saying the 2 dead were on the backhoe.

[Norm]

Heard a later report on the radio saying the 2 dead were on the backhoe.

The locomotive almost always wins.

[M.D.Bentley]

Rules are rules ! You do not foul any track for any reason without proper on track protection, PERIOD ! A lot, if not all the rules on the railroad are written in someones blood ( if it sounds harsh, because it is ! ) There's no way to bring back the ones lost . Only to learn and move on and hope no one else dies.

[NYCMan]

A sad and unnecessary loss of 2 lives. Also, a sad testimonial to the fact that Positive Train Control (PTC) is not the "magic solution" to railroad safety. This train was operating in PTC territory, but the fatal incident occurred. For the billions of dollars that PTC is costing the railroad industry, is the cost truly providing any benefit over ome of the less costly systems that could have been implemented? With over 43 years working for the railroads, my opinion is that PTC is simply going to lead to bigger accidents, and this incident supports my position.

Wish I were wrong.

[PatAzo]

Rules are rules ! You do not foul any track for any reason without proper on track protection, PERIOD ! A lot, if not all the rules on the railroad are written in someones blood ( if it sounds harsh, because it is ! ) There's no way to bring back the ones lost . Only to learn and move on and hope no one else dies.

There was a short article in the Wall Street Journal that made mention of an ongoing argument between Amtrak and labor over safety. Unmanageable layers of rules, a switch from experienced workers teaching safety to mid-level managers and pressure for track and signal people to work faster. One of the items they mentioned was a decision to discontinue the use of shunts to protect track workers. There was no speculation on the cause of the Chester accident. It was more a report on concerns for Amtrak's safety culture on the Northeast Corridor.

A sad and unnecessary loss of 2 lives. Also, a sad testimonial to the fact that Positive Train Control (PTC) is not the "magic solution" to railroad safety. This train was operating in PTC territory, but the fatal incident occurred. For the billions of dollars that PTC is costing the railroad industry, is the cost truly providing any benefit over ome of the less costly systems that could have been implemented? With over 43 years working for the railroads, my opinion is that PTC is simply going to lead to bigger accidents, and this incident supports my position.

Wish I were wrong.

It won't protect what it doesn't know is there.

[NYCMan]

According to NTSB reports released so far, the Maintenance of Way crew had authority to be on the track at the time of the incident. So, it does not appear that there was error on the part of the MofW crewmen that were killed.