Billions needed for rail safety

In a sweeping plan to improve the safety of Metrolink's commuter trains, a rail safety panel on Friday recommended billions of dollars in upgrades and a management reorganization to create a "safety culture" at the agency.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The recommended upgrades ranged from automated braking systems to safety improvements at railroad crossings to converting more single-track lines to double tracks.

In addition to the panel's proposals, board members said they'd like to see annual medical and psychiatric evaluations of engineers and conductors and increased staffing to reduce fatigue.

The Metrolink board requested the report from the panel of rail safety experts after the Sept. 12 Chatsworth collision between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train that killed 25 people and injured 135.