Halting wayward trains

Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.

The collision that killed 26 train passengers and injured more than 130 others Friday in Southern California has sparked a national conversation about rail safety that is long overdue. The same thing occurred after the August 2007 collapse of the interstate bridge in Minneapolis that claimed 13 lives. That tragedy shed light on the safety of the nation’s bridges.

Although no one died because of Southwest Airlines’ foolish decision in 2006 and 2007 to fly airplanes that had not been inspected for possible fuselage cracks, it took disclosure of those flights for Congress and the Transportation Department to wake up to the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration has been too cozy with airlines it should be regulating.

The common thread of these incidents has been an obvious disregard for the safety of the people who use cars, trucks, trains and airplanes. It is a shame that it often takes catastrophic accidents to make us give passenger safety a second thought.

One of the sad things about the head-on collision of the Metrolink commuter train with a Union Pacific freight train is that it could have been avoided with the use of satellite technology that is available but used sparingly nationwide, National Transportation Safety Board authorities have said. The technology emits a signal that stops a train that ignores red traffic signals or travels on the wrong track. The Metrolink train reportedly ignored three warning signals before running into the other train.

Rail industry representatives have balked at installing this technology nationwide because they say the cost is prohibitive and the technology is unproven. But the transportation board has advocated the technology and its chairman, Mark Rosenker, told USA Today it would have prevented the train wreck.

Safety should always be the top priority when designing and operating modes of transportation. The technology to stop wayward trains should be installed, at least in major metropolitan areas with heavy commuter traffic. The rail industry should end its resistance and implement these safety improvements now.