Washington Rail Officials Installing Safety Equipment

SEATTLE (AP) — Freight railroads in the Pacific Northwest are working on installing the type of safety system that regulators say could have prevented Tuesday's deadly Amtrak crash in Philadelphia.
They are unlikely to meet an end-of-the year deadline set by Congress to install the new technology.
The technology is designed to automatically stop or slow a speeding train when it senses an accident or collision could occur. It will also be programmed to know the speed limit on every stretch of rail, so if a train is going too fast for whatever reason, it will initiate automatic braking.
A deadly commuter rail accident back in 2008 in Southern California prompted Congress to require rail safety upgrades.
BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas in Seattle says his railroad can't promise on-time completion of the very expensive and complicated system.