The derailment of the train in Washington seems to be due to excessive speed, which resulted in the death of three people and the injury of 72 people, including several in critical condition.
It was Monday night when the passenger train, in a turn with a speed limit of 50 km / h, deviated from its course, while moving at 130 km / h, according to the data obtained from the rear engine of the train.
Authorities do not rule out an increase in the death toll.
Bella Dinh-Zarr said the 12-car train had front and rear engines. The rear engine data record had been recovered, he said, and according to "preliminary indications, the train was traveling at 80 mph on a 30 mph route".
Seven vehicles, two of them trucks, were hit on the highway when the train "dived" in the middle of the road. Many people were injured in their vehicles.
A security system called Positive Train Control (PTC) did not work on the train, the Amtrak president told reporters. Using GPS tracking, the PTC automatically warns the driver of speed limits and other local conditions and the train brakes if the warnings are not heeded. Congress had originally legislated for the PTC to be installed by the end of 2015, but it has not yet been completed. The cost of fully implementing the system on all parts and vehicles is expected to exceed $ 22 billion.
Train 501 had left Seattle, heading south for Portland. There were 86 people on board, including 77 passengers and seven Amtrak crew members, as well as a train technician.
It is a tragic irony that the train was running for the first time using new rails, according to Brook Bova, a Washington state police spokeswoman.
President Donald Trump's first reaction to the derailment was to highlight the need for an upcoming infrastructure plan.
