News21 - National » Railways

Hard Numbers: The value of a human life

jenn brookland — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:07:26 +0000

In 2005, a Norfolk Southern train went through a misaligned switch in the little town of Graniteville, South Carolina. It crashed into a parked locomotive at the Avondale Mills textile plant. The toxic chlorine gas that spread into the air after the crash killed nine people, sent hundreds to the hospital, and forced thousands to evacuate their homes. The Federal Railroad Administration called it the worst hazardous materials crash in 30 years. The plant shut down, unable to recover from the damage caused by the accident, and thousands lost their jobs. Lawsuits followed, including one that the railroad settled in May of this year. Norfolk Southern agreed to pay $4 million, but admitted no liability.

What happened to Graniteville? I’ll be visiting the town to see how it was changed by the accident, and whether the residents blame the railroad, or just fate. Do they know the accident was preventable with train control technology that had been available for decades? The railroad lists a specific dollar amount as the value of a human life. I wonder if the people of Graniteville would agree.

Rail Safety a Hot Topic in 2010

jenn brookland — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:29:56 +0000

With so many people traveling in cars, buses and airplanes, who knew what a hot topic rail safety would be in 2010? It turns out the railroads had to submit a plan in April that showed how they were going to implement Positive Train Control. That’s basically a way to make sure if the train driver doesn’t obey signals like stop signs, the train can do it for him. It’s a huge step for the railroad industry, and one that’s been considered by Congress since the mid 1990s. But it’s also very expensive, and the benefits are now the subject of feisty debate. I’m going to go hear some of that debate at the American Public Transportation Association’s annual Rail Conference in Vancouver next week. I’m sure I’ll hear from both sides- those who think this is a great advance for rail safety, and those who think it’s just not worth it. Should our national transportation systems be as safe as is technologically possible? Or is an affordable level of safety okay?

National Team Family Photo

aj maclean — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:28:53 +0000

Here’s the crew that will be working together out of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication:

Front (L to R): Ben Giles, Charlie Litton, Stevie Mathieu, Jenn Brookland, Robin Schwartz, AJ Maclean.

Back (L to R): Ryan Phillips, Tessa Muggeridge, Ariel Zirulnick, Richie Duchon, Aarti Shahani.

Welcome to the News21 National Team Blog!

aj maclean — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:38:34 +0000

We will be updating this blog with information about our research, thoughts we have about the transportation world and even questions that perhaps you can help us out with. It’s going to be a interesting summer as we dive deep into the various modes (Aviation, Highways, Railways and Maritime) especially as we seek shelter from the Arizona heat! Feel free to comment or give us your thoughts. Be sure to check back regularly or add us to your RSS feed.