Speed, not 'crumbling infrastructure,' eyed in Amtrak derailment

As we reported last night, the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train traveling from Washington, D.C. to New York City set off a fury of instant analysis that GOP cuts to infrastructure spending were probably to blame:

Partisan ghouls already blaming Amtrak crash on GOP and 'lack of funding' http://t.co/fAdTsYi3G2

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 13, 2015

But reports this morning suggest speed, not a “crumbling infrastructure,” might be the cause of the accident:

All #amtrak sources I'm hearing from keep pointing to the speed in this derailment in Philly. @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/5RD3L6j5IP

— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) May 13, 2015

Speed eyed as possible cause of #Amtrak crash: http://t.co/r6X3HuOZOn pic.twitter.com/rtgm3xmG6H

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 13, 2015

#Amtrak train derailed on curve near a freight yard. Could excessive speed have been a factor? #derailment pic.twitter.com/xjZo0Vt5yh

— Channing Frampton (@ChanningWINK) May 13, 2015

https://twitter.com/HannahMiyamoto/status/598323667425103873

But “human error” just doesn’t fit the lib narrative, now does it?

As for “infrastructure spending,” David Frum reminds us that we already did that:

Awful that America’s railway lines are in such bad shape. If only the country had committed $800 billion to a massive stimulus program

— David Frum (@davidfrum) May 13, 2015

Stimulus money that’s being used to fund California’s boondoggle high-speed rail plan:

"I have not seen a single number that has come out of the California high-speed rail organization that is credible." http://t.co/0SHtE79rVp

— Next City (@NextCityOrg) May 13, 2015

None of the claims about California High Speed Rail are credible. http://t.co/pJzZk2hHF8

— drhug (@drhug) May 10, 2015

Which is taking money away from much more needed upgrades in California:

The governor of California really wants to spend $60 billion on a high speed rail line, but desalination plants are too expensive. ?

— Serena (@SerenaAlfaro) April 28, 2015

California doesn’t need a wasteful $100+ billion high speed rail system. What it needs is state-of-the-art water desalinization plants.

— Sanford Kahn (@econbusspeaker) April 26, 2015

Pretty much.

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Related:

Update: 6th person confirmed dead in Amtrak derailment

Donald Trump: ‘The only one to fix the infrastructure of our country is me’

Instagram video shows interior view of Amtrak train wreck aftermath