Derailed Amtrak Train Was Going 100 MPH, Twice The Speed Limit, Around Sharp Curve

WSJ – An Amtrak train involved in a fatal crash here appears to have been traveling at more than 100 miles an hour as it entered a sharp curve where it derailed Tuesday night, killing at least seven people, according to two people with knowledge of the investigation. The speed limit in that section of track drops to 50 miles per hour, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

Listen, I have no idea how trains work. I don’t know if they run on autopilot like planes or are required to be powered manually like cars. It’s not even confirmed if A) Speed was the ultimate factor in the crash and B) If a conductor or machine was in complete control over the acceleration. All I do know is you don’t have this scene straight out of The Fugitive unless something disastrously goes wrong. And it’s going to be a damn shame if human error was ultimately responsible for this travesty. Even if people weren’t directly involved this could, and should have been avoided in some way.