California train line unveils crash-resistant cars
Southern California commuter train system showed off new crash-resistant passenger cars; the railway will spend $229 million to buy 117 cars from a division of Hyundai in South Korea
Southern California’s commuter rail service showed off new crash-resistant train cars that will replace most of its older cars. The cars, which feature “crush zone” technology to absorb impact in a crash, were unveiled Monday at Metrolink’s maintenance facility in Colton.
ABC News reports that Metrolink began considering using the technology after a 2005 crash in suburban Glendale that killed eleven people. Another crash in 2008 in the San Fernando Valley killed twenty-five people and unleashed a second wave of concern about Metrolink safety.
Metrolink hopes to have 117 cars ready by next year.
The $229 million fleet is being built by Rotem, a division of Hyundai, in South Korea.
