I think the Corridor is Class 6 track, good enough in cross-level and integrity for 110. The rail is 142 pound in many places, concrete ties, inspected for geometry at least weekly if not daily. Amtrak has a special geometry car that is out there all the time on secondary trains. It is objectively in the best shape it has ever, ever been, very impressive.
ACELA is good for 125 and 150 under special rules, class 7 and 8, but only Acela.
Amtrak owns the Corridor, the old Michigan Central (at least big parts) and from Philly to Lancaster, those were taken from Penn Central upon the formation of Conrail.
As for the brakes -- no, these are electropneumatic systems with no dwell or delay from front to back. The brakes went on at the same time, but too late to be of much effect. It is a matter of physics that the faster you go, the less effective the brakes happen to be.
This guy spaced out big time (at 100 mph, 7 miles go by real fast) and blew his chance to set his air. Unlike the thousands and thousands of other engineers who have made it around the Frankford Junction curve safely in the last 80 years, this numbskull screwed the pooch. And killed eight people, and hurt a lot more, and ruined millions of equipment Amtrak really didn't need to write off.
I vote jail.
