Jeff Smith Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Just watched on US Public Television (PBS) a documentary in the NOVA series called Why Trains Crash. I've no idea if this is shown on UK tv. However it naturally concentrated on US trains and in particular on the history of Positive Train Control. It includes the NJ Amtrak derailment and declares it to be due to the Engineer being distracted by another stopped train and dispatcher chatter and subsequent loss of location awareness. It talks about the generally safer railways in other parts of the world and finally concentrates on Japanese railways and in particular the Bullet Train. The sentiment is that the revenue earned in such railways can cover the immense cost of the safety infrastructure and culture, a situation that is unlikely to be mirrored in US high speed rail systems due to the lower passenger usage. Nevertheless, efforts are being made to make crashes more survivable using crumple zones and friendlier seating and table materials. An interesting programme and worth a look. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohmisterporter Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Thanks for the heads up Jeff. We do have PBS on Sky, I shall watch out for this programme. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald Henriksen Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 My local PBS station is repeating the program tonight at midnight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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