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Yesterday, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) board approved a series of safety improvement recommendations Metrolink's board should adopt to "prevent further train accidents." LACMTA is one of several southern California county transportation agencies that provide operating funds to Metrolink.

LACMTA is calling on Metrolink to staff locomotive cabs with two engineers, implement "automatic train stop" technology on trains already equipped to handle the systems, and install video cameras and digital video recorders or equivalent technology to monitor engineers and other staff inside locomotive cabs.

The authority will allocate $5 million to install positive train-control systems on Metrolink trains operating in Los Angeles County, and report back to its board in October with cost estimates and other requirements. LACMTA also plans to work with Metrolink's other funding partners to identify and secure funds to implement a collision-avoidance system in their own regions.

In addition, the authority wants Metrolink to establish a "Commuter Rail Safety Peer Review Panel" to evaluate the agency's existing safety plans and operating procedures, as well as review such plans for freight lines. Metrolink's CEO would be responsible for developing a comprehensive commuter- and freight-rail master plan that would evaluate and recommend additional safety technology and infrastructure upgrades.