In Wake of Fatal Crash, U.S. Curbs Train Speed

Four days after a fiery crash in nearby Silver Spring, Md., killed 11 people, the government issued emergency rules Tuesday requiring passenger trains to restrict their speed after leaving stations.

Passenger trains must limit speed to 30 mph leaving stations; engineers will have to call out red or yellow signals to another crew member and railroads must ensure that emergency exits are clearly marked and working.

“While the National Transportation Safety Board has not reached a final conclusion, enough questions have been answered to take actions now,” Transportation Secretary Federico Pena said at a White House briefing.

The Federal Railroad Administration rules took effect at 12:01 a.m. today.

The deadly wreck occurred Friday evening after a Maryland Rail Commuter, or MARC, train passed a signal that was supposed to be yellow, requiring the train to limit its speed to 30 mph. The train then stopped at a station in Kensington, Md., but when it left the station, it sped up to 63 mph.

Investigators do not know if the engineer forgot the earlier warning, overlooked it or whether the signal malfunctioned.

A short time later, the train rounded a curve in Silver Spring and saw the Amtrak liner on the same track, but could not stop.

The new speed limit applies when a train stops or slows to 10 mph, Pena said. “Think of it as traveling on a yellow light every time you leave a station.”

This limit will remain in force until the engineer sees the next control signal, speeding up only if it is clear.

Concern about whether the yellow signal had been overlooked in the wreck led to the rule that engineers call out any signal they see that is red or yellow. If another crew member sees such a signal but doesn’t hear the engineer’s call, they could point out the signal to the engineer.

One railroad union official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday that engineers on the MARC route have made several complaints about the signals, especially since a second signal between Kensington, Md., and the crash scene was removed during an overhaul a few years ago.

The requirement to test emergency exits and improve the labeling follows reports that some passengers were unable to escape the burning train.