Amtrak said Tuesday it would install inward-facing video cameras
in locomotives on the Northeast Corridor by the end of the year to
more closely monitor engineers, another effort aimed at enhancing
safety after a fatal derailment in Philadelphia earlier this
month.
The cameras will be installed on Amtrak's existing ACS-64
locomotives, which are new models that are being phased in to
replace an older fleet, and on new locomotives going forward,
Amtrak president and chief executive Joseph Boardman said. Amtrak
said the cameras would help it and industry regulators monitor
engineers and cabs, including during investigations.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why a
train traveling from Washington to New York on May 12 sped into a
sharp Philadelphia curve at nearly twice the posted speed limit and
jumped the tracks. Eight passengers died.
Engineer Brandon Bostian has told investigators he doesn't
remember what occurred before or during the accident. His lawyer,
who has said Mr. Bostian suffered head injuries in the crash,
didn't respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Mr. Boardman said he is working with the Federal Railroad
Administration on installing the cameras, and that the NTSB has
called for such cameras in the past. "We're just moving forward as
quickly as I can figure out how to do that," he said.
Installation of the inward-facing cameras will first occur in
the 70 ACS-64 locomotives that will power all Northeast Regional
and long-distance trains between Washington, New York and Boston,
as well as Keystone Service between New York, Philadelphia and
Harrisburg, Pa.
Mr. Boardman said he estimated the cost of installing the
cameras at $20,000 per locomotive, for a total cost of about $1.4
million. He said it would cost roughly $6 million to outfit
Amtrak's entire fleet of 300 locomotives nationwide but gave no
timeline for that project.
He said the cameras won't provide data in real time. The
information will have to be downloaded at a later time to review
engineer performance.
The union representing Amtrak engineers has opposed installing
such cameras in locomotive cabs in the past. Mark Kenny, Amtrak
general chairman at the Brotherhood of Locomotive and Train
Engineers, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Boardman said he didn't think the union would be supportive
of the new cameras. "I don't think they're jumping up and down for
joy to have it in there," he said.
Amtrak already has outward-facing cameras on locomotives, along
with other systems that monitor locomotive and engineer
actions.
Write to Kris Maher at kris.maher@wsj.com
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