04-19-2009, 04:02 AM
Safety record and track condition are not necessarily related. Minimum safe track conditions for freight do not make for smooth ride for passenger trains, or allow high speed operation. Many companies operate unfortunately to that level of maintenance. There are runs near here where the passenger train that operated on it had to slow to below 35 for miles. Did not bother the freight trains, they did not care if they had to run them through at slow speed. Can find more examples if you look.