Unnecessary Deaths on the Rails

Our refusal to invest the money needed to create a modern railroad system is leading to unnecessary deaths.

The latest example occurred near Fallon, Nevada, on Friday June 23, 2011. Six people died when Amtrak’s California Zehphyr crashed into a gravel truck that had run through a crossing signal. This tragedy was a direct result of failure to invest in modern rail infrastructure.

There is a simple way to prevent tragedies like this one build railroad lines like freeways or interstate highways. Eliminate all the crossings where roads or highways run over the tracks. Vehicle traffic would run under or over the railroad tracks. It is called grade level separation and it works. It is the real secret to successful high-speed rail lines in Europe and elsewhere.

Yes, such investment would be expensive but it would save lives and make our rail system faster and far more efficient. We could run more trains at higher speed and increase the speed and frequency of both passenger and freight trains. Now this would not have to be done on every rail line but it could be done on the main lines.

If we can spend $10 billion a month on the war in Afghanistan and $14 billion on the auto industry bailout, we can certainly come up with the money for safer ground transportation. This would also improve everyday driving for millions of Americans.

After all eliminating surface level crossings would not just help trains it would help drivers. How many of us have had to wait for an eternity at a crossing waiting for a train to pass? It would also eliminate the need for trains to blow their horns going through towns which is a major complaint residents have about rail.

Why can’t we invest money to save lives and improve things for everyday Americans here in the USA? Investing in a national network of high speed trains and adding grade separation to all crossings on a major rail lines would be a good start.