(Bloomberg) – The derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Washington state last month that killed three people may have been prevented if a railway crash-avoidance technology mandated by Congress had been activated, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Technology installed but not operational
Positive Train Control technology would have alerted the Amtrak engineer to slow down before the curve where the train derailed, and would have automatically applied the brakes if the engineer failed to do so, the NTSB said in its preliminary report about the Dec. 18 crash near DuPont, Washington.
The system on the line was installed but not operational, according to the report, which doesn't establish probable cause.
The crash caused more than $40 million in estimated damage, the agency said.
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