Amtrak 188: the emergency response, safety technology and transportation funding

Guests: Samantha Phillips, Jeffrey Knueppel, Joe Martin, Colby Itkowitz

As part of WHYY/NewsWorks’ continuing coverage of Tuesday night’s Amtrak train derailment, guest host Jeff Brady will spend the hour looking into the fatal incident. First, we’ll talk with Philadelphia’s director of Emergency Management, SAMANTHA PHILLIPS about how the city responded to the crash and the lessons learned.  Then, we’ll hear from JEFFREY KNUEPPEL, deputy general manager of SEPTA, and JOE MARTIN, civil engineering professor at Drexel University, about the crash and what could have been done to prevent it. And lastly, we’ll discuss the politics of funding Amtrak, including its safety infrastructure, with COLBY ITKOWITZ of the Washington Post.