Only 59 passenger-car derailments were reported in 2012, a spokesman said, down 24% over the previous 10 years.

WSJ: Metro-North Is Set To Restore Full Service Wednesday

Derailments nationally have fallen sharply in recent years, said the Federal Railroad Administration.

WSJ: Metro-North Is Set To Restore Full Service Wednesday

Further safety reports into derailments reveal concerns over how soon and how well Network Rail actually repairs known track defects.

BBC: Train crash in Cumbria

The reports, by the Department of Transport's Rail Accident Investigation Branch, followed three derailments, at Waterloo station and at Epsom in Surrey in 2006.

BBC: Train crash in Cumbria

"When unavoidable situations arise, realize they are just short-term holdups to your exercise program, not permanent derailments, " says Barbara Bushman, a professor at Missouri State University's Department of Kinesiology.

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