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Take Two

Why train derailments happen and how to prevent them

By Take Two Staff
Published May 13, 2015
Workers at the scene of an Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 13, 2015. Rescuers combed through the mangled wreckage of a derailed train in Philadelphia after an accident that left at least six dead, as the difficult search for possible survivors continued.
Workers at the scene of an Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 13, 2015. Rescuers combed through the mangled wreckage of a derailed train in Philadelphia after an accident that left at least six dead, as the difficult search for possible survivors continued.
(
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
)

Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.

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Why train derailments happen and how to prevent them

Investigators are still piecing together what caused an Amtrak train to derail outside of Philadelphia, last night, that left six dead and hundreds more injured.

Authorities have the train's black box and are looking into any number of factors: the train's speed, the condition of the tracks and perhaps human error.

David Clarke, director of the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, explains to Take Two how often derailments happen and what technologies are in place to prevent them.