Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.
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The people who were killed Sept. 12 in a California train crash could possibly have been saved if an anti-collision technology that has been around for 30 years had been in place.
Railroad officials nationally have balked at the safety system, saying technical challenges remain and the cost is prohibitive.
In the aftermath of the head-on train crash in Chatsworth, Calif., though, any talk about price should come to an end. And any technical problems could be overcome once a decision is made to install it, given that the technology is in place on some stretches of railroad in 16 states.
With the technology, there would be a backup plan in the event of human error. In Chatsworth, a Metrolink train carrying urban commuters collided with a Union Pacific freight train after the Metrolink engineer did not heed a light signaling for him to stop.
The tragic result was 25 people dead and 135 seriously injured.
The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that Metrolink’s chief executive said his agency would consider immediate installation of the technology, which is known as positive train control. He stopped short, however, of giving any assurances.
According to previous reporting by the Los Angeles Times, positive train control combines digital communications with Global Positioning System technology. If an engineer misses a stop signal, the train’s brakes are automatically applied.
Ultimately, the decision to install such technology should not reside with the railroads. If technology exists that makes public transportation safer, federal law should require it and Congress should provide subsidies that would take some of the sting out of the cost.
In Congress, Senate and House negotiators — motivated by the Metrolink crash and other tragic crashes over the years — have agreed on legislation that would require that the technology be installed by 2015 on rail lines that carry passengers or hazardous materials.
We support this bill because train accidents are too frequent. It would undoubtedly save lives.
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