As the investigation on the Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia and killed eight people continues, it has emerged that the safety technology that could avoid such an accident is not required to be installed by Amtrak in some of its trains.

The "positive train control" or PTC system is a technology that will automatically take control of a speeding train, helping lower the chances of a derailment.

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WCSH 6 Portland reported that the PTC technology is being installed and tested in the country with a caveat, low ridership will allow a train company to not install the said technology on trains. NNEPRA Executive Director Patricia Quinn told WCSH 6 that Amtrak is not legally required to install the PTC technology in Maine and New Hampshire, because it only has 10 trains traveling the route everyday.

Quinn noted that the PTC is only required to be installed if there are at least 12 trains that makes daily trips of the same route.

The NNEPRA executive said that the issue stems from a lack of fund. State-owned Amtrak is said to be strapped in cash, making it harder for the train service to install the PTC system in all the trains in its fleet.

The New York Times reported that PTC has not been installed in the deadly Train No. 188 when the incident happened. “We feel that had such a system been installed in this section of track, this accident would not have occurred,” National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said in a May 13 news conference.

Times reported that Amtrak is believed to have already installed the PTC system in its New England Line, New York Line and Mid-Atlantic Line, with plans to equip all its trains traveling in the Northeast Corridor with the technology soon.

The Amtrak Train No. 188 was revealed to have been traveling at about 106 miles an hour when it entered a curve that had a 50/mph limit.

TagsAmtrak train, Philadelphia Amtrak Crash Safety, train technology, amtrak safety, train safety technology