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Safer Type of Train Car Arrives for Metrolink to Test
Photo via Metrolink
Metrolink today received the first two cars in a pilot program that seeks to make commuter rail safer for the Los Angeles region. The new passenger Crash Energy Management (CEM)-enabled cars, which will supposedly reduce the impact with "unique collision-absorption technology," are a first for the country.
Metrolink now begins testing the cars before completing the order of 117 cars. "Any elements in need of modification will be identified and corrected during this phase, which will prevent those that do not meet the highest standards from showing up in the entire production run," noted a press release.
The cars were ordered more than five years ago. In the past five years, 38 people have died in two separate Metrolink crashes--one in Glendale in 2005 and 25 in Chatsworth in 2008. The agency also plans on using a GPS technology called positive train control, which can prevent trains colliding into each other.
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