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U.S. NEWS Friday 16 February 2018

Amtrak: We'll stop service on tracks lacking speed controls

ter DeFazio, D-Ore., has PTC is designed to slow or
proposed to ban further stop trains that are going
extensions. DeFazio's bill too fast, take control when
would offer more than $2.5 an engineer is distracted or
billion in grants to speed incapacitated and prevent
railroads' progress. Industry collisions with other trains.
groups estimate railroads “We believe that PTC
will spend about $10 bil- should ultimately be in
lion in total to install and place for all Amtrak routes
implement the systems. and, as a matter of U.S. pol-
Amtrak already has PTC in icy, PTC should be required
place on about 700 miles of for all passenger rail trips in
tracks it owns on the North- America,” Anderson told
east Corridor from Boston the House Subcommittee
to Washington, D.C., and on Railroads, Pipelines and
in Michigan. Elsewhere, Hazardous Materials.
the government-owned Amtrak’s warning came
railroad operates on track after two of its trains were
owned by freight carriers involved in fatal crashes
and other entities. on third-party tracks in the
Anderson said Amtrak is past two months — the lat-
evaluating whether it will est of about 150 crashes kill-
continue running trains on ing more than 300 people
Metrolink Director of Operations, R.T. McCarthy, demonstrates Metrolink's implementation of Posi- third-party tracks where the over the last five decades
tive Train Control, (PTC) in Los Angeles' Union Station. Amtrak is considering suspending service on PTC deadline is extended. that investigators said were
tracks that don't have sophisticated speed controls by a Dec. 31, 2018 deadline, Amtrak president He said the railroad won't preventable by PTC. On
and CEO Richard Anderson said Feb. 15, 2018, threatening to disrupt operations across the U.S. as operate on tracks whose Dec. 18, a train entered
it pushes to strengthen safety after a series of deadly wrecks. owners haven't made a curve at nearly 50 mph
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) enough progress to warrant (80 kph) over the speed
By MICHAEL R. SISAK President and CEO Rich- Congress for installing the a delay and is unlikely to limit and derailed on tracks
Amtrak is considering sus- ard Anderson told a House GPS-based system, known operate on stretches that south of Seattle owned by
pending service on tracks subcommittee that Amtrak as PTC, but some are ask- regulators have excluded a regional authority, killing
that don't have sophisti- is worried passengers are ing regulators for an ex- from PTC requirements. three people.
cated speed controls by being put at risk by delays tension until 2020. That's on Amtrak's stance could also On Feb. 4, a train was
a Dec. 31 deadline, the in installing Positive Train top of a three-year delay affect commuters. Ander- switched to the wrong
railroad's top executive Control systems on tracks it granted in 2015. They've son said the railroad would track and slammed into a
said Thursday, threaten- uses but doesn't own. Those cited challenges including be unlikely to let regional CSX train on tracks owned
ing to disrupt operations tracks make up a majority equipment problems and carriers such as MARC and by the freight carrier in
across the U.S. in a push to of Amtrak's network. delays in testing to ensure NJ Transit run trains lack- Cayce, South Carolina, kill-
strengthen safety after a Railroads face a year-end it's compatible with other ing PTC on Amtrak-owned ing two people.
series of deadly wrecks. deadline mandated by railroads' systems. Rep. Pe- tracks after the deadline. q
Prosecutor: Slain police commander was shot 6 times

By DON BABWIN Cook County Assistant Marubio of Legghette's ex- police officials gave on question him in an area
CHICAGO (AP) — A Chica- State's Attorney Guy Lisu- tensive criminal record — Wednesday afternoon where there had been re-
go Police commander who zzo told the judge that that includes a conviction when they announced cent drug dealing and a
was killed by a suspect he Legghette arrested with a for armed robbery — the that Legghette had been shooting.
was attempting to detain handgun in his pocket and judge ordered him held charged with first-degree The judge ordered Leg-
after a brief foot chase was that tests revealed gun resi- without bond. murder of a peace officer, ghette to return to court for
shot six times, a prosecutor due on his right hand and But the hearing offered armed violence, unlawful a preliminary hearing on
said Thursday. jacket pocket that indicate people in the courtroom, use of a weapon by a felon March 7. Legghette, who
During a hearing in which he had fired the weapon including Police Supt. Eddie and possession of a con- was shackled and wear-
a judge ordered Shomari shortly before Bauer was Johnson and a large crowd trolled substance. ing gray sweatpants and a
Legghette, 44, held with- found with gunshot wounds of police officers, the op- Bauer, Lisuzzo said, was in Chicago Bears T-shirt, didn’t
out bond, prosecutors re- to his head, neck, torso, portunity to see the man a police car in downtown enter a plea before he was
vealed some evidence back and wrist. charged with killing the Chicago when he heard led out of the courtroom
that links him to Tuesday af- After Lisuzzo gave a syn- highly-respected Bauer. a call that a man had run amid tight security. His pub-
ternoon's shooting death of opsis of the crime and told Lisuzzo repeated the ac- away from tactical officers lic defender did not talk to
Cmdr. Paul Bauer, 53. Associate Judge Mary C. count of the shooting that who had approached to the media afterward.q