Alva Review-Courier -

Nearly 300 people have died in train crashes that could have been prevented if railroads across the U.S. implemented critical speed-control technology that federal safety investigators have been pushing for close to five decades, according to rail crash data obtained by The Associated Press.

But despite overwhelming evidence it could save lives, Congress extended the deadlines for railroads to implement positive train control for years.

All the while, new high-speed train routes continue to spring into operation without the technology, including the new route involved in Monday's Amtrak crash...