Amtrak to expand speed control at deadly US train crash site

US passenger train operator Amtrak will expand its use of a speed restriction system on Philadelphia's northbound rails and abide by other federal directives issued after one of its trains crashed in the city last week, killing eight people.
The automatic train control system already is being used for southbound trains approaching the curve where Tuesday's derailment occurred.
The system notifies an engineer when a train is above the speed limit and automatically applies the brakes if the engineer doesn't slow down the train.
The US Federal Railroad Administration on Saturday ordered Amtrak to expand use of the system.
Amtrak said yesterday it would comply, adding that its "overarching goal is to provide safe and secure rail passenger travel."

The company hopes to resume limited service between Philadelphia and New York on Monday and full service on Tuesday.

The train was travelling from Washington, DC, to New York when it flew off the tracks in Philadelphia.
About 200 people were injured, and at least eight people remained in critical condition in Philadelphia hospitals yesterday. All were expected to survive.
Investigators have been looking into why the train hit the speed of about 171 kph in a 80 kph zone. The FBI also is looking into the possibility that the windshield of the train was hit by an object shortly before the train derailed.

The engineer, who was injured in the crash, told authorities he did not recall anything in the few minutes before it happened.
The Federal Railroad Administration also ordered Amtrak to analyse curves to assess risks on the Northeast Corridor, the busy stretch of tracks between Washington and Boston, and determine if more can be done to improve safety.
"In areas where approach speed is significantly higher than curve speed, the appropriate technology intended to prevent over-speed derailments must be implemented immediately," the agency said.
Amtrak also will have to increase the amount and frequency of signage alerting engineers and conductors of the maximum authorised speed.

Amtrak posted a message on its website yesterday touting a "very strong" safety record, including a claim that yearly derailments fell from 80 to 28 between 2000 and 2014.