Update on Amtrak safety culture, PTC plan requested by Reps. DeFazio and Capuano

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
image description
Siemens

Two U.S. Representatives who serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure have requested an update on Amtrak's safety culture and implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC).

 

House T&I Committee Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Michael Capuano (D-MA) sent a letter to Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson requesting the update. The two representatives introduced a bill last week that would institute a hard deadline of Dec. 31, 2018 for PTC implementation, but the legislation would also provide $2.5 billion in grants to help passenger railroads meet the deadline.

“We would like to know what ‘safety culture’ weaknesses Amtrak has identified throughout the organization and what specific steps Amtrak is taking to resolve them immediately. If there are problems holding the organization back from advancing the best safety practices, we would like Amtrak to identify them. Amtrak’s labor unions have been copied on this letter and we welcome their views on safety at Amtrak as well. Acknowledging that Amtrak has a weak safety culture is the first step toward fixing it, but the traveling public should not have to wait for another incident to know whether Amtrak has sufficiently addressed these issues. Amtrak should be the safest passenger rail service provider in the world, and we hope to help you on that trajectory,” wrote the representatives.

Amtrak’s safety culture has been in the spotlight following the Dec. 18, 2017 derailment of Amtrak Cascades Train 501 where three passengers were killed and many others were injured when the train derailed when it entered a 30 mph curve at 80 mph. The National Transportation safety Board (NTSB) noted in a preliminary report on the incident that PTC would have prevented the over speed condition.

The NTSB also found that ignored safety procedures and a fractured safety program are to blame for the April 3, 2016, derailment of Amtrak train 89 near Chester, Penn. Following NTSB’s final ruling on the probable cause of that incident, Amtrak released a series of initiatives it was in the process of implementing to improve its culture of safety. Amtrak noted the journey would take time and require efforts from every one of its employees.

Earlier this month, Amtrak appointed Ken Hylander to serve as executive vice president and chief safety officer where he will oversee the implementation of a proven Safety Management System at the railroad.

Tags: , ,