Runaway Trains

Runaway Trains examines some of the most tragic rail disasters of recent decades, using on-site footage and computer-animated recreations to show how each accident actually unfolded. Cases include a hundred-car freight train that plowed into a quiet suburban neighborhood, a head-on collision between a crowded commuter train and an intercity passenger train, and a crash in which a passenger train rear-ended a stalled commuter train, throwing wreckage into the path of an oncoming express. The documentary also looks at the new technologies railroads are adopting to improve safety and reduce the risk of fatal collisions.