Should Austin Be Concerned About Los Angeles Train Wrecks?

Brooks Schuelke

Contributor

1 CommentPrint ArticleSubscribe

By now, everyone has heard about the Los Angeles train wreck last Friday that killed several passengers. Unfortunately, there was another train wreck in LA today. In today's wreck, a Metro train collided with a Metro bus. Fortunately, the bus was not carrying any passengers, and the only injuries to the train passengers were minor bumps and bruises.

But are these wrecks warnings about what Austinites should expect. Capital Metro, our local transit authority, claims that we are on track for our first commuter rail line to open this fall. The line runs from Leander to downtown. The route, which is using existing train track, meanders through numerous Austin neighbors, meaning that there might be an increased risk of collision. The LA train wrecks should be a reminder to Austin drivers to pay attention.

We should also hope that Austin's adoption of commuter rail goes better than Houston's effort. When Houston introduced its light rail system, the ridiculous number of train wrecks made national news.

To help avoid the Houston problem, all Austin drivers should read Capital Metro's safety tips.