The railroad industry in the U.S. has been in the Dark Ages of technology since the 1800’s and they have purposefully acted that way. Why? Because money always trumps safety when it comes to railroads. Good examples: Freight trains have 2 people in the cab of the locomotive, a Conductor and an Engineer. Amtrak trains and commuter trains, hauling people, have just one person driving those trains. So, is freight more valuable than human life? The railroads sure act like it does. Then, we have Positive Train Control, a technology that the railroads could have installed decades ago. How bad is it? Consider that the trucking industry had GPS Tracking in 1990. Now, in 2015, most locomotives still have no GPS Tracking! What possible excuse could the industry have for that? On June 24, 2012, the biggest railroad in the U.S., Union Pacific, had two of its freight trains hit head-on near Goodwell, OK. Three of the 4 crewmen were killed. One jumped just before the collision and lived to tell about it. One of the Engineers was color-blind and couldn’t read the track-side signal lights! But his Conductor could. Apparently, he was sleeping. If Union Pacific had installed PTC, that collision could have been avoided. But, they didn’t. Many books could be filled with the outrageous behavior of the railroad industry in the U.S. and how the so-called policing agency, the FRA, has just let the railroads do as they please. In the 1800’s, train crews posted this little poem in the locomotives and cabooses. UPHILL SLOW, DOWNHILL FAST, TONNAGE FIRST, SAFETY LAST. Has anything really changed? The railroad industry has been stalling PTC for 45 years! Who let them get away with it? The FRA, that’s who. The railroads continue to use and install a train detection system, the Track Circuit, invented in 1872. It fails to detect trains in various locations all over the U.S., daily. Amtrak trains especially have detection problems. AND, the railroads are charging over $200,000 PER CROSSING to upgrade from crossbucks to bells / lights / gates–still using that 1872 Track Circuit. Federal taxpayers foot the grossly inflated price and, once again, the FHWA / FRA, plus state DOT’s let the railroads get away with it. The whole system, industry and government, has a stink around it as high as Mt. Everest. Result: preventable deaths and injuries daily.
We have updated our privacy policy to be more clear and meet the new requirements of the GDPR. By continuing to use our site, you accept our revised Privacy Policy.
The railroad industry in the U.S. has been in the Dark Ages of technology since the 1800’s and they have purposefully acted that way. Why? Because money always trumps safety when it comes to railroads. Good examples: Freight trains have 2 people in the cab of the locomotive, a Conductor and an Engineer. Amtrak trains and commuter trains, hauling people, have just one person driving those trains. So, is freight more valuable than human life? The railroads sure act like it does. Then, we have Positive Train Control, a technology that the railroads could have installed decades ago. How bad is it? Consider that the trucking industry had GPS Tracking in 1990. Now, in 2015, most locomotives still have no GPS Tracking! What possible excuse could the industry have for that? On June 24, 2012, the biggest railroad in the U.S., Union Pacific, had two of its freight trains hit head-on near Goodwell, OK. Three of the 4 crewmen were killed. One jumped just before the collision and lived to tell about it. One of the Engineers was color-blind and couldn’t read the track-side signal lights! But his Conductor could. Apparently, he was sleeping. If Union Pacific had installed PTC, that collision could have been avoided. But, they didn’t. Many books could be filled with the outrageous behavior of the railroad industry in the U.S. and how the so-called policing agency, the FRA, has just let the railroads do as they please. In the 1800’s, train crews posted this little poem in the locomotives and cabooses. UPHILL SLOW, DOWNHILL FAST, TONNAGE FIRST, SAFETY LAST. Has anything really changed? The railroad industry has been stalling PTC for 45 years! Who let them get away with it? The FRA, that’s who. The railroads continue to use and install a train detection system, the Track Circuit, invented in 1872. It fails to detect trains in various locations all over the U.S., daily. Amtrak trains especially have detection problems. AND, the railroads are charging over $200,000 PER CROSSING to upgrade from crossbucks to bells / lights / gates–still using that 1872 Track Circuit. Federal taxpayers foot the grossly inflated price and, once again, the FHWA / FRA, plus state DOT’s let the railroads get away with it. The whole system, industry and government, has a stink around it as high as Mt. Everest. Result: preventable deaths and injuries daily.