Connecticut Lawmakers Push For Train Safety Reform

Lawmakers in Connecticut are pushing for greater regulations to improve the safety of its train systems.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), there have been 139 train crashes deemed "preventable" in the U.S. The crashes led to the deaths of 288 people, caused 6,500 non-life threatening injuries, and damaged $300 million worth of property. While train accidents have occurred throughout the country, Connecticut remains a leading state in terms of incident rates. Lawmakers are hoping to change this, however, by implementing new rules and regulations which aim to protect both riders and the general public from crash injuries.

In 2008, the U.S. Congress approved the use of a Positive Train Control (PTC) system -- a new technology that would link train systems together in a network with a central command center issuing directors to operators. The purpose of PTC is to allow command center workers to slow or stop a train remotely if the operator fails to do so. Most train-related deaths and injuries are the result of operator error, and the PTC aims to solve this problem by adding a "fail safe" to the system.

When Congress approved PTC, it originally set a date of implementation for 2015. Unfortunately, officials close to the project believe this deadline is unattainable, and that a more realistic date for the new system would be 2020. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut responded to the PTC hurdles by announcing plans to grill the Federal Railroad Administration in an upcoming hearing. Like many of us, Blumenthal wants to know why the PTC is taking so long, and what can be done to speed up the process.

"We are going to be asking increasingly tough questions of the Federal Railroad Administration," said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

While there are likely many factors affecting the PTC's progress, one of the most influential is budget cuts. The nation's commuter railroads have been strapped for cash in the wake of false promises by Congress. The Metro-North Railroad, for instance, was promised $250 million to fund the PTC; however, media reports suggest that only a fifth of this money has been delivered.

Will Congress come through and finish the PTC system? We can only hope so, given the fact that it could save lives. With bureaucracy and budgeting standing in the way, however, workers close to the PTC project aren't optimistic about its completion.

Do you think the government should step in to improve train safety? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!