Sen. Barbara Boxer

Metrolink Installs Safety Feature In Light of 2008 Tragedy

A safety feature that automatically slows or halts a commuter train before it collides with another is in place on all 341 miles of Metrolink tracks, Sen. Barbara Boxer and train agency officials announced last week. Positive Train Control, or PTC, uses GPS to avert train collisions. The technology also may be used to keep trains from going at unsafe speeds or from moving onto the wrong tracks. The system was installed in response to a 2008 collision between a Metrolink train and a Union Pacific freight train, resulting in 25 deaths and 135 people injured.