Why Was Amtrak Train In Deadly Wreck Speeding?

Breitbart.com ^ | May 14,2015 | Breitbart News

[Biggirl]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Federal investigators have determined that an Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia, killing at least seven people, was careening through the city at 106 mph before it ran off the rails along a sharp curve where the speed limit drops to just 50 mph, yet they still don’t know why it was going so fast.

[elcid1970]

Learned from Hillary Clinton how to say, “I don’t recall....”

[Presbyterian Reporter]

Brandon Bostian, age 32, has been an Amtrak engineer for 4.5 years. That implies Brandon Bostian became an Amtrak engineer when he was 27 years old.

Does anyone have information on the typical age when Amtrak places personnel as engineers?

Also does anyone have information on the average age of the other engineers on these high speed trains that run between DC and NYC?

[MamaB]

One site said you have to be a high school grad and 22 years old. Seems young.

[kjam22]

Because the guy couldn’t set it to crash into a mountain.... so he did the next best thing in his mind.

[norwaypinesavage]

"if the Republicans wouldn’t be such dunces"

Lighten up, would ya! Not EVERY story needs to lead to whining about Republicans.

[technically right]

Yeah, worked for Hillary all these years so why not give it a shot.

[thackney]

In Japan, speeding like this is nearly impossible because most the JR Group and private rail lines have Automatic Train Stop (ATS) systems,

Not just Japan:

Already used on parts of the same line, but not yet in all locations.

Red indicates Sections of the Northeast Corridor equipped with positive train control, click pic for source

[BunnySlippers]

I don’t have an answer ... but I do remember a crash on a commuter train here in LA.

Same circumstances ... engineer same age, people killed, going too fast around curve, tried to stop at the last minute.

They got his phone records and he had been texting at the VERY same time as the crash. He did not survive.

He was young ... 20s, 30s.

[grobdriver]

The real question is “why was it speeding at that particular place?”

Studying Google Earth, we can see that there's a 2-mile stretch of track before the incident turn which has a 100 foot drop in elevation.

Inattentiveness (for whatever reason) and natural speed buildup.

[cuban leaf]

I suspect that is exactly it. If so, this will go very badly for that engineer.

[DoodleDawg]

In Japan, speeding like this is nearly impossible because most the JR Group and private rail lines have Automatic Train Stop (ATS) systems, which automatically slow down or even stop a train due to excessive speed or running a red signal. And they increased the number of ATS sensors after the Amagasaki accident in 2005, which the lack of ATS warning sensors on the track before a sharp curve contributed to the derailment.

Congress mandated that Amtrack install a similar system by the end of 2015 but neglected to give them the money to pay for it.

[Jack Hammer]

Uh... because the driver was an irresponsible idiot, and probably stoned, as well.

[Biggirl]

You can put in all types of infrastructure change and yet if one drives like an idiot, it will not make a bit of difference.

[Jack Hammer]

Absolutely.

And the driver was clearly driving like an idiot.

[codder too]

This could have been even more catastrophic....Several.pictures showed oil tank cars in close proximity. They are called “bomb trains”. Thanks heavens they weren’t hit.