May 16--The Federal Railroad Administration has ordered Amtrak to make changes to the area where a train derailed in Philadelphia while traveling 106 mph on a sharp curve, killing eight people.
The railroad administration has also ordered Amtrak to assess all lines in its busy Northeast corridor to identify curves where trains must significantly slow down.
"These are just initial steps, but we believe they will immediately improve safety for passengers on the Northeast corridor," said Sarah Feinberg, acting federal railroad administrator.
Speed is at the center of still-unanswered questions about the derailment: Why did the train accelerate in the minute before it derailed on Tuesday in a curve zoned for 50 mph?
The FRA demands that Amtrak install automatic train control technology on its northbound trains near the derailment site. Automatic train control can apply a train's brakes if an engineer fails to slow it down.
Amtrak officials have said a train-braking system would have prevented this week's crash.
For curves similar to the one on which the train derailed, the FRA has ordered Amtrak to implement "the appropriate technology intended to prevent over-speed derailments."
"We are continuing to work with the NTSB to understand exactly what happened on Tuesday so we can prevent this type of devastating accident from ever happening again," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
This article will be updated.
