from Siemens, capable of speeds up to 125 m.p.h, addresses one factor that made the Philadelphia crash so horrific. Like all modern trains, the new Airo locomotives and cars are designed and built as one unit instead of separate vehicles coupled together. This leads to a smoother ride, and it’s also harder for the cars to tip and overturn.
“As time went on, we learned that you need to depend on the structure of the sides and the roof — what I call lateral strength,” Reistrup, a civil engineer who worked for decades on both freight and passenger railroads, said in a recent interview. “I never remember in all my many, many years … testing for a side impact.”Amtrak said customers who ride along the Northeast Corridor can rest easy until the new Airo cars arrive.
The Amtrak spokesperson said the company hopes to have some Airos working on the Northeast Corridor in 2027.between New York and Harrisburg. Those trains use Amtrak’s Metrorail cars, currently 54 years old.Train cars were built to protect passengers from being propelled forward in a straight-ahead crash but not from lateral force, NTSB said after the Train 188 crash.
Since it’s the profitable route, I’d agree