--- title: Without PTC, Amtrak and Railroad Industry Are Out of Control description: "Amtrak has been ignoring NTSB safety rec for 25 years, at peril of railroad workers and passengers. Train crashes like Amtrak #188 could be avoided." image: https://www.felaattorney.com/hubfs/amtrak_signage-367513-edited.jpg --- [![fw-fela-logo.png](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/fw-fela-logo.png?width=504&name=fw-fela-logo.png "fw-fela-logo.png")](https://www.felaattorney.com/) ![lpheader-blog-header.jpg](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LP_Headers/lpheader-blog-header.jpg?width=1024&name=lpheader-blog-header.jpg "lpheader-blog-header.jpg") ## FELA Attorney's Blog | Exploring the rights and issues of railroad workers and rail passengers # Without PTC, Amtrak and Railroad Industry Are Out of Control Posted by [Marc Wietzke](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/author/marc-wietzke) on May 15, 2015 9:38:23 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![amtrak ignores ntsb safety warnings on PTC](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/amtrak_signage-367513-edited.jpg?width=494&name=amtrak_signage-367513-edited.jpg "amtrak ignores ntsb safety warnings on PTC")   They knew what to do, but chose not to do it   Even as we try to sort out what lead Amtrak #188 to accelerate into a curve in Philly, which required deceleration, we are reminded that the very railroad which is supposed to be the prototype for safety for all others, is not keeping up.    Investigation has lead to published reports that [the engineer of Amtrak Train #188 actually complained about the under-utilization of Positive Train Control](http://nypost.com/2015/05/14/amtrak-engineer-had-ranted-online-for-more-safeguards/) back at the time of the 2008 Chatsworth, CA derailment. That crash lead to [17 deaths](http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-traincrash13-2008sep13-story.html#page=1) and hundreds of injuries. That crash would have been avoided by use of PTC. Then in 2013 we saw the [deaths of 4 more](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/nyregion/metro-north-train-accident-bronx.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) and injuries to almost another hundred as a result of the Metro-North derailment at Spuyten Duyvil. One month later PTC was installed that would have avoided the crash.     But PTC has been on the NTSB most wanted list since 1970! Was this type of disaster foreseeable? Yes. How much more evidence do we need?   Here is a quote from my post from over a year ago:   > On August 20, 1969, two Penn Central commuter trains collided head-on near Darien, CT, killing four and injuring 43. That tragedy 45 years ago began the NTSB’s call for development and implementation of positive train control (PTC) systems. In 1970, the NTSB first addressed the need to require a form of automatic train control. Since then,*** the NTSB has issued almost 50 PTC-related safety recommendations and has included PTC on its Most Wanted List every year*** from its inception in 1990 until enactment of the RSIA. In the aftermath of a deadly 2008 Chatsworth collision, that killed 25 and injured another 102, Congress passed the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA), requiring all trains providing passenger service and [freight trains operating on lines carrying toxic- and poisonous-by-inhalation hazardous materials to implement PTC by the end of 2015](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/10-rights-of-railroad-workers). In the words of the NTSB, “Railroads that will not meet the deadline to implement PTC should be accountable. Lives depend on it.” > >   Read that full post [here](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/railroads-make-national-transportation-safety-board-most-wanted-list-again). Twenty-five years of formally recommending the very technology that would have let seven innocent trusting passengers return to their families.     So lives depend on it, and lives have been lost because the federal railroad didn't listen to the federal safety agency. Should bad operator conduct be ignored? No. But we have always been able to anticipate the need for safety measures.  Should we skip seat belts because we trust our own driving? Of course not.  Today we are also learning that there will be [no charges against the engineer of the December 2013 Metro-North crash](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/railroads-make-national-transportation-safety-board-most-wanted-list-again). This is a perfect example of knowing we need a safety net.  Amtrak, and all railroads, are acting recklessly every single day they don't heed the dire warnings of the safety board.   [Photo by Marc Wietzke](https://www.felaattorney.com/)   [![Not sure where to begin a claim against the railroad? Ask your legal question here, confidentially.](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/312738/3341b6e4-e87c-444f-9f24-e6445d732e36.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/312738/3341b6e4-e87c-444f-9f24-e6445d732e36) Topics: [Passenger railroad injuries](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/passenger-railroad-injuries), [Railroad safety issues](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/railroad-safety-issues), [commuter](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/commuter), [reporting safety concerns](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/reporting-safety-concerns), [Train accidents](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/train-accidents), [injured passengers](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/injured-passengers), [NTSB](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/ntsb), [amtrak](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/amtrak) ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Topic - [FELA injury (31)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-injury) - [FAQs on the job injuries (24)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/faqs-on-the-job-injuries) - [Basic steps to filing a fela lawsuit (20)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/basic-steps-to-filing-a-fela-lawsuit) - [Railroad safety issues (19)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/railroad-safety-issues) - [FELA recovery (15)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-recovery) - [whistleblower (13)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/whistleblower) - [Rights of Railroad workers (11)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/rights-of-railroad-workers) - [settlements (10)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/settlements) - [reporting safety concerns (8)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/reporting-safety-concerns) - [how to file a claim against railroad (7)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/how-to-file-a-claim-against-railroad) - [verdict (7)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/verdict) - [how much is my case worth? (6)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/how-much-is-my-case-worth) - [how to file your own injury claim (6)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/how-to-file-your-own-injury-claim) - [how to hire a railroad lawyer (6)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/how-to-hire-a-railroad-lawyer) - [trials (6)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/trials) - [FELA v Workers' Comp (5)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-v-workers-comp) - [Passenger railroad injuries (5)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/passenger-railroad-injuries) - [Train accidents (5)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/train-accidents) - [commuter (5)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/commuter) - [unions (5)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/unions) - [Checklist for hiring railroad lawyer (4)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/checklist-for-hiring-railroad-lawyer) - [LIRR (4)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/lirr) - [PEB (4)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/peb) - [amtrak (4)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/amtrak) - [compensatory damages (4)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/compensatory-damages) - [injured passengers (4)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/injured-passengers) - [lost wages (4)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/lost-wages) - [eye injury (3)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/eye-injury) - [wage loss calculator (3)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/wage-loss-calculator) - [Hoboken crash 2016 (2)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/hoboken-crash-2016) - [LIRR strike (2)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/lirr-strike) - [NJ Transit (2)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/nj-transit) - [NTSB (2)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/ntsb) - [PEB 245 (2)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/peb-245) - [Thoughts on the legal industry (2)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/thoughts-on-the-legal-industry) - [attacked at work (2)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/attacked-at-work) - [surveillance (2)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/surveillance) - [Engineers (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/engineers) - [FRR deep dive into Metro-North safety culture (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/frr-deep-dive-into-metro-north-safety-culture) - [MTA (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/mta) - [Medical forms (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/medical-forms) - [Metro North (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/metro-north) - [Multiple injuries (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/multiple-injuries) - [Railroad blogs to read (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/railroad-blogs-to-read) - [crude oil (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/crude-oil) - [finger injury (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/finger-injury) - [hosptial (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/hosptial) - [medical marijuana (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/medical-marijuana) - [punitive damages (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/punitive-damages) - [railroad injury deposition (1)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/railroad-injury-deposition) [see all](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/without-ptc-amtrak-and-railroad-industry-are-out-of-control#) ### About Us ![Flynn Wietzke FELA injury attorneys](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/fw-fela-logo-drkbkg.png?width=504&name=fw-fela-logo-drkbkg.png "Flynn Wietzke FELA injury attorneys") Railroad lawyer Marc Wietzke focuses on FELA injury and whistleblower law for railroad workers injured or punished on the job. ### Services - [Home](https://www.felaattorney.com/) - [About Us](https://www.felaattorney.com/about-us) - [Wins](https://www.felaattorney.com/wins) - [Blog](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog) - [Contact Us](https://www.felaattorney.com/contact-us) ### From Blog --- ### Main Office 1205 Franklin Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530 T: (516) 877-1234 • F: (516) 877-1177 *With offices throughout the country [![Super Lawyers since 2014](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/new-fela-super-lawyers-logo-white-since-2014.png?width=150&height=150&name=new-fela-super-lawyers-logo-white-since-2014.png)](http://profiles.superlawyers.com/new-york-metro/garden-city/lawyer/marc-wietzke/11f74a17-3aee-4c7b-98a7-8a2f7803ab57.html) [![Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/multimillion-dollar-advocates-forum.png?width=150&height=150&name=multimillion-dollar-advocates-forum.png)](http://milliondollaradvocates.com/) [![ARLA](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/arla-footer.png?width=150&height=150&name=arla-footer.png)](http://www.arladepot.org/officers.html) [![10 Best Attorney 2017 American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ten-best-attorney.png?width=150&height=150&name=ten-best-attorney.png)](http://aiopia.org/) [![Best Attorney of America Lifetime Charter Member](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/best-attorney-of-america-lifetime-charter-member.png?width=150&height=150&name=best-attorney-of-america-lifetime-charter-member.png)](https://www.bestattorneysofamerica.com/) [![Best Law Firms of America Lifetime Member](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/best-law-firms-of-america-footer.png?width=150&height=150&name=best-law-firms-of-america-footer.png)](https://bestlawfirmsofamerica.com/) --- ***ATTORNEY ADVERTISING - ***Prior results don’t guarantee a similar outcome in your claim. This website and blog are for informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice, since only after knowing the details of your claim can any advice be provided. Please understand that particular laws vary by state. You must speak directly with an attorney about your situation to determine what laws apply.   PRIVACY POLICY - As a law firm, we do not share any information received from any contact without that contact's specific permission.