New tech could have prevented deadly train crash, NTSB says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Amtrak train involved in Tuesday's deadly crash in Philadelphia was rolled out two years ago and has technology that prevents all the cars from crumbling. Given the speed of the train, experts say the fatality count could have been much higher.

But there is new technology that was not installed in that stretch of Philadelphia rail that could have slowed the train down.

The Philadelphia derailment is the ninth Amtrak accident in 2015. While it is one of the deadliest in recent years, experts say Amtrak remains a relatively safe way to travel compared to other modes of transportation

"The good news is Amtrak fatalities are quite low," says Joe Schwieterman of DePaul University. "The bad news is it has seen a tough year with accidents of all different causes."

While the black box discovered at the scene will help determine a definitive cause, speed will be the primary focus of investigators. If the train was going twice as fast as it should have been, there is safety technology that could have prevented the accident: Positive Train Control, known as PTC, could slow or even halt a speeding train.

Under current law, the rail industry must adopt the PTC system by the end of the year, yet there is a push to extend the deadline to 2020. Amtrak is in the process of installing the technology. Experts say the PTC system is extremely expensive.

"Those kind of automatic stops could have slowed things, but there is a big trade off," says Schweiterman. "You put the money in this there is less money for trains and other kind of improvements

The train involved in Tuesday night's crash is an advanced electric locomotive that is only a couple years old. It features a crumple zone designed for crash absorption during a collision. Schweiterman says the Philadelphia accident could have been much worse had it not been for the new train...

"It also appears the cars did what it should do in a crash," he says. "We had terrible fatalities, but it wasn't the complete demolition that could occur with this kind of impact."

As for the PTC technology, NTSB officials said in its press briefing that the technology could have prevented the accident. While it is already installed in other Amtrak corridors, PTC remains on the wish list for that part of the eastern corridor.