Update: The latest report is that the driver claims to have been drowsy, perhaps falling asleep at the wheel ,so to speak... I think this could be easily avoidable with either a co-engineer/driver or technology. If ever there was a mode of transportation that was well suited for automation, trains being fixed to a track are ideal. Sensors on the track could easily impart critical info like speed limits to a train passing over them, and the train could easily respond automatically. Something this obvious, screams out, where are the infrastructure dollars being wasted that should long ago have been applied here? For that matter why aren't the Railroads doing this on their own? Why would public money be needed at all? I would call this negligence and the Railroads should see it is in their interest to do something about this and avoid more of what will surely be an abundance of lawsuits.

Terrible tragedy. From what I heard this morning they are suggesting the driver/engineer? was possibly distracted by a handheld device probably a cell phone...