Railroad officials assure Illinois lawmakers they’re investing in rail safety technology

CHICAGO (Illinois News Network) -- Railroad companies are assuring Illinois lawmakers they’re investing their own capital in rail upgrades to make the system the safest it can be.


With Monday’s commuter train derailment in Washington state that killed three and injured dozens more, many are wondering how such a tragedy could be averted.


Transportation officials investigating the derailment said the train was going 80 mph in a 30 mph zone. The stretch of freight track the commuter train was on reportedly did not have in place positive train control systems that use technology to control the speed of trains.

Congress mandated such systems be installed by 2015 but delayed the deadline because of the multibillion dollar price tag.

Joseph Ciaccio with the Illinois Railroad Association told an Illinois House committee in Chicago Tuesday that railroads are investing billions of dollars across the country and in Illinois on positive train control systems.

“That’s the next generation of safety,” Ciaccio said. “These are the kinds of things with signals and satellites we’ll be able to control the speeds of trains in the event of operator error.”


Union Pacific Railroad’s Adrian Guerrero said the industry also is using other technology, such as drones, to inspect tracks regularly.


“We cannot operate our business without it being 100 percent safe,” Guerrero said.

Almost all commuter trains run on freight lines maintained by private railroad companies.

Other special interest groups told the House committee that Illinois’ transportation infrastructure – roads, bridges and waterways – needs billions of new tax dollars.

“IDOT’s identified need of an additional billion per year is a good start, but it falls short of what we should be doing to hopefully grow Illinois as an economic leader in the nation,” Transportation for Illinois Coalition’s John Lowder said.

IDOT Secretary Randy Blankenhorn said the state’s recent capital plans based on bonds haven’t been helpful because the state didn’t have funds to pay down the debt service.

“It’s not about raising revenue,” Blankenhorn said. “It’s about what that revenue provides and what we do with the revenue that the public gives us. How do we talk about the needs that we have in this state and make sure that the public gets this is money well spent?”

Blankenhorn said IDOT is investigating more public-private partnerships and hopes to streamline the state’s procurement process, but that would require further reforming the state’s procurement code.

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