BART installs system to give warning seconds before major quakes, slowing trains

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oakland-tribune/ci_21648104/duck-and-cover-bart-installs-system-give-warning

In a marriage of technology and earthquake safety, BART has become the first U.S. transit system to install an early-warning system that can detect major earthquakes seconds before the ground begins shaking and then slow trains to reduce the risk of derailments, injuries and deaths.

The system, developed with the help of scientists at UC Berkeley, can give a warning that ranges from a few seconds to up to a minute before a quake hits, depending on how large and how far away an earthquake is. A similar network is already in use in Japan, where it has saved lives in major quakes.