The collision of three Norfolk Southern trains in Pennsylvania early this month highlights the shortcomings of the automated braking system that was created to prevent such crashes. Not only was the system incapable of stopping the second train before it smashed into the back of a stopped train, but it also couldn't stop the third train. Congress required railroads to develop the positive train control system after a deadly 2008 collision between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth, California. Norfolk Southern's safety practices have been in the spotlight since one of its trains derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. The report also didn't say whether there were any curves or hills that made it hard for the crew to see the stopped train.

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Persons: Chris Barkan, Keith Holloway Organizations: Norfolk Southern, National Transportation Safety, “ PTC, Union Pacific, Metrolink, NTSB, Rail Transportation, Engineering Center, University of Illinois Locations: Pennsylvania, Chatsworth , California, Lower Saucon Township, Lehigh, Atlanta, Norfolk, East Palestine , Ohio, Urbana, Champaign