Without knowing details, it seems like a poor decision to go ahead with an 'upgrade' to high speed travel without instituting Positive Train Control (PTC).

I recall an incident in my own background where a lineup of large switchgears was being put in service, each one of these refrigerator sized units was a multi-thousand volt control for a separate outgoing transmission line. The switchgear lineup was numbered from left to right and the transmission lines each had their own numbers. I noticed that the switchgear numbered six fed transmission line seven and vice versa. Although in theory this was not a problem I had a concern that someday some electrical worker out on line seven would feel that he/she was safe on hearing that switchgear seven was open and get in trouble and I insisted that the lines numbers be exchanged.

I've always considered that worker and civilian safety has to be part of plans from the beginning and it doesn't sound like this attitude was carried through here.