Last week’s deadly Amtrak crash in Philadelphia appears to have been primarily a matter of human error. The passenger train was traveling at more than 100 miles per hour in a 50 mph zone when it derailed at a sharp turn, killing eight people and injuring more than 200.
The error could have been prevented if the train had been equipped with modern safety features, including an automatic braking system. Yet Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee voted the morning after the crash to slash Amtrak’s already meager budget from $1.4 billion a year to $1.1 billion. President Obama requested $2.5 billion for Amtrak in his budget proposal.
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Train operators are required to install automatic brake systems, a decades-old technology that slows down speeding trains in dangerous areas and acts as a safeguard against negligent rail engineers. Yet because the technology costs billions of dollars to install, only about half the trains in the country are equipped with it.
Lawmakers have renewed calls to speed up rail systems’ installation of automatic brakes after the Amtrak crash. But such demands won’t do much good unless rail lines are given the money they need to modernize.
Chronically underfunded railways aren’t just a problem in the Northeast corridor. Ohio railways have fared even worse, thanks to shortsighted leadership that is reluctant to invest in modern infrastructure. This state does not have a real passenger rail program. Virtually all of the rail money in Ohio’s transportation budget goes toward roadbed repairs.
When he took office five years ago, Gov. John Kasich forfeited $400 million in federal funding for a proposed high-speed passenger rail line between Cincinnati and Cleveland. The U.S. Transportation Department sent that money to more forward-thinking states that are eager to invest in their mass transit systems.
At the time, the governor said the proposed speeds of the rail project would have been too low to attract enough passengers. But that assertion has it backward: Rail ridership across the country has grown substantially in recent years, especially in states that understand the importance of investing in rail.
Governor Kasich said the federal money would have been better spent on upgrades to Ohio’s existing rail systems. Yet there have been few such improvements during his administration.
Rail ridership in Toledo, Ohio’s busiest Amtrak stop, has dropped in the past few years, from more than 90,000 riders a year to just over 86,000. Passengers cite frustrations with chronic delays and unpredictable travel schedules.
Like highways and public transit systems, railways need adequate public support to survive. Virtually all other advanced nations — and many developing ones — have made generous investments in conventional and high-speed rail systems that should realize returns in the longer term.
Despite fears that last week’s disaster provoked, rail travel is safer, more environmentally friendly, and, with proper investment by elected officials, more efficient than traveling by car. The 21st century demands a more balanced, efficient, and modern transportation system. Lawmakers must not wait until our rail system endures another tragedy to make long-needed upgrades.
First Published May 19, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
