One of worst railroad disaster in U.S. remembered SIMI VALLEY, CALIF. (BDCi) — A day after the national remembrance of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, survivors of one of the worst railroad disasters in U.S. history are holding a memorial of their own tragedy. The Metrolink train disaster in Chatsworth, in 2008 is being remembered with ceremonies, including one declaring: “Don’t Text and Drive Day”. Authorities said Metrolink’s engineer, 46-year-old Robert Sanchez, had been texting teenage train enthusiasts in the minutes leading up to the collision. Sanchez had ignored at least one red signal and failed to apply the brakes on Metrolink 111, which was carrying 222 passengers from downtown’s Union Station to Moorpark. He was also killed in the collision. Relatives of those who died and some of the more than 130 people who suffered injuries will be on hand at Simi Valley’s train station Monday afternoon, marking the moment their loved ones’ train was to have pulled in three years ago. The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 quickly resulted, setting reasonable deadlines for the implementation of positive train control, or PTC. PTC uses global positioning satellite technology to automatically override dangerous train movements, provide updated train locations and stop a locomotive if the crew is incapacitated.
Trains have until December 31, 2015 to implement PTC. Union Pacific has indicated it will do so by 2012.
By: Adrianna Lobo Source: KTLA September 12, 2011
1:34 p.m. PDT