Question: Amtrak crash, Human error?, Infrastructure failure?

Bamaro · May 14, 2015

8 dead, hundreds injured as the engine and all 7 cars come off tracks while speeding through curve north of Phila. Black box shows that train was going 106 MPH entering the turn that has a speed limit of 50. The next day congressional committee votes to cut Amtrak funding. PTC (positive train control) that congress has already mandated would have prevented this crash but does the money exist to fund it.
Are we letting our infrastructure slip quickly into 3rd world conditions? Will more money help? Where will additional funding come from?

BamaSC · May 14, 2015

This looks 100% human error (or intentional). Probably error as I heard this morning the engineer applied the emergency brakes at the last second. Also heard that tracks were inspected just a few hours before the wreck.

As for funding, I don't think lack of funds is the issue. Didn't Congress allocate almost $1 trillion a few years ago to go to infrastructure? What happened to that money?

Bama Reb · May 14, 2015

Bamaro said:
8 dead, hundreds injured as the engine and all 7 cars come off tracks while speeding through curve north of Phila. Black box shows that train was going 106 MPH entering the turn that has a speed limit of 50. The next day congressional committee votes to cut Amtrak funding. PTC (positive train control) that congress has already mandated would have prevented this crash but does the money exist to fund it.
Are we letting our infrastructure slip quickly into 3rd world conditions? Will more money help? Where will additional funding come from?

Typical liberal talking points.

Bazza · May 14, 2015

The attorney for the engineer said his client doesn't remember anything leading up to the actual crash.

It's early yet - I'm going to wait for the facts from the investigation before speculating.

I know.....it's an odd approach but for some reason I'm feeling frisky!

Bamaro · May 14, 2015

Bama Reb said:
Typical liberal talking points.

Well, that was informative.

TIDE-HSV · May 14, 2015

I'm suspecting petite mal...

Tidewater · May 14, 2015

TIDE-HSV said:
I'm suspecting petite mal...

Wow. If that turns out to be it, then somebody's got some 'splainin' to do.

Bama Reb · May 14, 2015

Bamaro said:
Well, that was informative.

I said that because it's exactly what your hero in the WH jumped at. Without waiting for the facts to come in, he (as usual) jumped at the chance to bring up something, anything, to lead to more or higher taxation on the public. And true to form, you couldn't help but start a thread based on the same uneducated assumption.

Bamaro · May 14, 2015

Tidewater said:
Wow. If that turns out to be it, then somebody's got some 'splainin' to do.

According to black box, engineer applied brakes and slowed to 102 before derailing it. Dont know whether that would fit in with that scenario or not. Engineer is claiming amnesia at this point.

Bamaro · May 14, 2015

Bama Reb said:
I said that because it's exactly what your hero in the WH jumped at. Without waiting for the facts to come in, he (as usual) jumped at the chance to bring up something, anything, to lead to more or higher taxation on the public. And true to form, you couldn't help but start a thread based on the same uneducated assumption.

So you are all fine and dandy with the state of the infrastructure all over.

FWIW, I believe my original post was presented without any con/lib bias. Just a few questions with some factual statements mixed it. You seem to want to make it a partisan issue rather than addressing any issues.

Bama Reb · May 14, 2015

Bamaro said:
According to black box, engineer applied brakes and slowed to 102 before derailing it. Dont know whether that would fit in with that scenario or not. Engineer is claiming amnesia at this point.

And the posted speed limit for that area is 50. I'm going out on a limb here and say the speed of the train going into the curve probably had a lot more to do with the wreck than the amount of money thrown at the "infrastructure".

willie52 · May 14, 2015

No offense to anyone but does every thread have to turn into a political argument. It was a flipping train wreck probably caused by human error since the speed was almost double what it should be. What else, who knows at this point. There is nothing else to this. You wonder why Washington does what they do on both sides of the aisle, all you have to do is look within.

I miss the old Non-sports board with Riz, RV, Doc and the rest. Yea I know, I don't have to read it. I usually skip over certain posters because I know what's coming but can we give it a rest please.

jthomas666 · May 14, 2015

Bama Reb said:
And the posted speed limit for that area is 50. I'm going out on a limb here and say the speed of the train going into the curve probably had a lot more to do with the wreck than the amount of money thrown at the "infrastructure".

You do realize that one of the infrastructure improvements under discussion is a track monitoring system called positive track control--already implemented in some areas--a speed control system that would have prevented the train from going so fast?

Bama Reb · May 14, 2015

jthomas666 said:
You do realize that one of the infrastructure improvements under discussion is a track monitoring system called positive track control--already implemented in some areas--a speed control system that would have prevented the train from going so fast?

Why not? It's not like it costs $Billions to install.. Far be it for the conductor on a train to be responsible for the train he's driving.

Tide1986 · May 14, 2015

jthomas666 said:
You do realize that one of the infrastructure improvements under discussion is a track monitoring system called positive track control--already implemented in some areas--a speed control system that would have prevented the train from going so fast?

As another poster noted earlier, we did approve nearly $1 trillion dollars in shovel-ready infrastructure projects back in 2009. This project was apparently not a high priority for the democrat government at the time.

92tide · May 14, 2015

willie52 said:
No offense to anyone but does every thread have to turn into a political argument. It was a flipping train wreck probably caused by human error since the speed was almost double what it should be. What else, who knows at this point. There is nothing else to this. You wonder why Washington does what they do on both sides of the aisle, all you have to do is look within.

I miss the old Non-sports board with Riz, RV, Doc and the rest. Yea I know, I don't have to read it. I usually skip over certain posters because I know what's coming but can we give it a rest please.

the short answer to your first question is yes.

at least tomorrow is friday, but not fetcher friday

BamaSC · May 14, 2015

92tide said:
at least tomorrow is friday, but not fetcher friday

I miss the fetcher threads.

Tidewater · May 14, 2015

willie52 said:
No offense to anyone but does every thread have to turn into a political argument.

Once you posit no effective limits on Federal power (other than the limits the Federal government itself places on its power, which is effectively no limits at all), then yes, every single issue will become eventually political.

Bamaro · May 14, 2015

Tide1986 said:
As another poster noted earlier, we did approve nearly $1 trillion dollars in shovel-ready infrastructure projects back in 2009. This project was apparently not a high priority for the democrat government at the time.

I'm not sure about the 1T figure (most of whatever it was didn't go to Amtrak) but the PTC system is on Amtrak's most wanted list so it will be interesting when we find out why it hasn't been implemented more.

Bazza · May 14, 2015

I'm on a collector car forum and it has many sub-forums including an Off Topic. Things got so nasty that they split the Off Topic into two separate sub-forums....Off Topic and Politics and Religion Off Topic.

Most of us never venture into what we refer to as PARF (Politics and Religion Forum) because the actual intelligent discussion portion is 10% and the other 90% is personal attacks. And yes it is moderated but still pretty deplorable how carried away some folks get.

Getting back to the Amtrack accident.....I didn't realize there was only one person controlling the train. That's crazy for something going this fast with so many passengers.

Question: Amtrak crash, Human error?, Infrastructure failure?

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