Community Corner
Fast Train Testing Returns To Lakewood
After the deadly Amtrak crash last year, Sound Transit is testing a system that should make the tracks safer.
LAKEWOOD, WA - Sound Transit is in the midst of testing a new train safety system on the tracks that run through Lakewood along I-5 - and that means drivers and pedestrians should watch for trains traveling through the city at speeds approaching 80 MPH.
A safety system called positive train control (PTC) is being implemented along the tracks, which is supposed to prevent disasters like the Amtrak crash in DuPont last year. The PTC system sends location information to computers on board the train. Those systems can then control the train according to track conditions.
On Dec. 18, 2017, the inaugural run of an Amtrak train heading from Seattle to Portland derailed at a bend in the tracks in DuPont. Three people died and another 77 were injured. Prior to the accident, Amtrak and WSDOT had been testing high-speed trains running through Lakewood.
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