I retired from the US rail industry (Class I carrier), and I can tell you for a ~FACT~ that the US rail industry does NOT neglect ROW (Right Of Way) maintenance. Why would they want to anyway? Imagine the impact of a derailment. Not to forget the lives that can and are lost by one, but the money lost in damages, repair and lost time. Not a good way to run a business. I have no idea how reliable the reports are, since ~NONE~ of the information that the NTSB or FRA gathers is supposed to be disclosed until the investigation is concluded, nor do any rail corporations have a disclosure procedure, so all of the information we're hearing (other than injuries etc.) is local authorities and the "reliable" media, quick to crucify someone, anyone...
If you look at an overhead of the wreck site - my first thought is "Why are they running an Amtrak passenger train on a line with a curve like that (over an interstate highway, no less)?" It looks like that, when they built the highway, they undercut the rail line, and moved it, with a sharper curve and bridge, to accommodate the highway. Either that, or it's the former junction of two rail lines made into a new route, but without straightening out the connection. Either way, NOT good railroad construction engineering practice for the purpose. Industrial track? Fine. Not passenger trains. They spent millions on physical upgrades of the tracks, why not that curve? Politicians saving money, pure and simple. AMTRAK is government funded, federally (mostly) and locally. Brownie points for re-election...
Still, from my "expertise" (hah! what a joke!), the train was traveling at an excessive speed, similar to the last "big" Amtrak wreck over East, where you have a high-speed mainline, with an allowed speed of 79mph (you hit 80 for over so many seconds, and you lose your engineer's certification and license - your job!), having to drop to 30 mph for a curve, and the operator of said vehicle not adhering, for whatever reason, whether incapacitated, distracted or whatever. Modern US locomotives have onboard video and audio recorders, for in-the-cab and radio, along with recording all sorts of other information about brakes, speed, horn, etc., so they'll most likely have all the information they need for the investigation shortly, if not already. A nearby town's mayor expressed his concern with all of the grade crossings in his town, and the anticipated speeds of the passenger trains, though I bet he never dreamed of this. Even talk of that high and mighty "Positive Train Control" is ignorant. If it worked properly, it'd be fantastic - however, that's a different story for some other time...
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