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The move to add
cockpit cameras in trains on the Northeast Corridor line by the
year's end follows a derailment outside Philadelphia that killed
eight people and injured about 200.
"Inward-facing video cameras will help improve safety and serve
as a valuable investigative tool," Amtrak Chief Executive Joe
Boardman said in a statement.
The cameras will be installed in 70 locomotives that power
trains on the Washington-to-Boston northeast corridor, as well
as service between New York, Philadelphia and Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania.
Amtrak is still looking into ways to install cameras in the
high-speed locomotives that power its Acela express line through
the region and on diesel-powered locomotives.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut,
which is served by Amtrak, praised the move but called on
federal regulators to mandate similar cameras on all U.S. rail
locomotives.
"Inward-facing cameras, with the right privacy protections for
employees, are a critical way to make our railroads safer,"
Blumenthal said. "Cameras improve accident investigations, deter
unsafe behavior, and detect compliance with safety laws, which
is why I have urged their installation as soon as possible."
The northbound train involved in the May 12 derailment
accelerated to 106 miles per hour (171 kilometers per hour) from
70 mph (113 kph) in the minute before the crash, which occurred
on a sharp curve. Investigators have not yet concluded why the
train sped up so dramatically but are looking into possibilities
including equipment malfunction or human error and are analyzing
the engineer's cell phone records to find out whether he may
have been making a phone call or texting in the time leading up
to the accident.
Amtrak engineers are required to turn off their phones when
behind the controls.
The Federal Railroad Administration last week ordered Amtrak to
take immediate steps to improve the safety of its busiest route,
including identifying dangerous curves along the Northeast
Corridor where slower speeds could reduce the risk of mishap.
(Reporting by Scott Malone in Boston; Editing by Sandra Maler;
Editing by Bill Trott)
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