The leader of a train advocacy group in Maine
said an accident like the fatal crash in Philadelphia
on Tuesday night is unlikely on the Amtrak Downeaster because engineers on the
service between Brunswick and Boston are vigilant about not exceeding the
line’s 79 mph speed limit.
Wayne Davis, chairman of TrainRiders/Northeast, said
Wednesday night that the Downeaster can go up to 125 mph, but the current track
configuration can not safely accommodate speeds higher than 79 mph, and only in
certain sections.
The train that crashed in Philadelphia, killing at least seven people
and injuring more than 200, had been going 106 mph before it went off the rails
on a curve where the speed limit is 50 mph.
Davis wouldn’t speculate
on why the engineer in Philadelphia
was traveling more than twice the speed limit, but said Downeaster engineers
are keenly aware of the 79 mph rule and know where they must go slower.
“An engineer is not about to mess with federal law,” he
said. “No one in their right mind would exceed the (79 mph) speed limit.”
All Amtrak engineers are monitored by GPS tracking
systems, according to Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Northern New
England Passenger Rail Authority, which contracts with Amtrak to operate the
Downeaster.
“Keeping to the required speed limits is something that
is strictly monitored and enforced,” Quinn said Wednesday night. “They take
these regulations and rules very seriously. There are many checks and
balances.”
She wasn’t aware of any Downeaster engineers being cited
for speed violations.
Despite Tuesday’s tragic crash, Davis remains convinced in the safety and
efficiency of rail travel and would someday like to see the Downeaster be
authorized to travel up to 110 mph. He believes that, with the proper upgrades,
running faster trains between Brunswick, Portland and Boston
would increase ridership.
“All it would take is for Congress to allocate the
money,” Davis
said, acknowledging that the rail line would have to undergo major
improvements, such as a new signaling system and track upgrades. “It’s our goal
to someday raise the Amtrak Downeaster speed to 110 mph. Time is money to
people.”
By making the trip from Portland
to Boston much quicker – it now takes the
Downeaster about 2 hours, 25 minutes – more people would take the train, Davis said. The 110 mph
speed could reduce the trip to two hours. An express going that speed and
making two stops would arrive in just over an hour, Davis said.
TrainRiders/Northeast is a nonprofit that was formed in
1989 to bring modern and efficient passenger rail service to Northern
New England.
Quinn is skeptical that the funds needed to upgrade the Portland to Boston
rail line to allow higher speeds will become available in the near future.
“It’s not something we are pursuing,” she said.
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