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Re: NTSB thought positive train control was the cure all!!!
Author: SP5103
Date: 06-27-2009 - 16:09
While this might work in a perfect world, our world is far from perfect.
Anybody not fired within their probationary period would have their union and lawyers screaming. The other issue, is we are fast losing the work ethic of our depression and WWII ancestors and are being courted by politicians looking to be re-elected that the government will take care of us. Of course, we no longer have enough qualified and experienced supervisors involved in day to day operations to properly oversee and train employees.
I agree that simpler is better, but there are potential advantages of electronics that cannot be ignored in certain situations. The problem (IMHO) is that too many "consultants" get involved, especially where the operation is owned by a governmental agency. Most consultants are not interested in simply recommending a proven system, they want to increase their contract to design and manage something "better". And most of the new engineering types today have no legacy engineering training, so think unless it has a computer attached to it then it must be obsolete.
One issue that has not been resolved in the rail industry, is that all these "special" electronic systems are becoming obsolete within just a few years. That doesn't even consider the huge issue of having a 100% reliable electronic system in vital applications - not only the hardware, but the operating system and the million+ lines of code. An unfactored cost is what it takes to completely re-engineer, re-program and re-equip any sytsem every 15 or so years, while relay systems (as crude as they are) continue to operate fairly reliably years after their installation.
My bottom line - We need common sense and responsibility reapplied to the rail industry, and need to implement new proven technologies where it makes sense to improve efficiency and most of all - safety.
