Amtrak had better get back on track
Two crew members were killed early Sunday when an Amtrak passenger train on the wrong track crashed into a line of freight cars.
More than 100 people were injured in the accident, which occurred in South Carolina.
Rail accidents seem to have become a regular occurrence. Sunday’s was the third fatal Amtrak crash in two months.
Traveling and transporting freight by train ought to be a reasonably safe thing. Trains run on tracks, after all. Positioning technology ought to keep them away from hazards. Speed-control equipment should prevent accidents from engineers going too fast.
But accidents for all these reasons have been reported during the past year.
Clearly, a comprehensive look at rail safety is needed.
The industry should welcome it.
Passengers and shippers should demand it.
Surely some way of avoiding frequent rail accidents can be found.