LOS ANGELES (CBS) -- Rail officials Saturday honored the 25 people who were killed when a Metrolink commuter train crashed with a freight train a year ago in Chatsworth.
The crash was the deadliest in Metrolink history and has led to efforts to install an automated collision-avoidance system.
A plaque was unveiled Saturday at Stoney Point Park in memory of the commuters killed and the dozens more who were injured.
Survivors, victims' family members, rescue workers and public officials attended the service.
Another memorial was unveiled at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday. The bronze plaque depicted a track nearing a tree-shrouded bend.
Beneath the picture it reads: "Unfinished Journeys. In memory of those who have died. With empathy for those affected. In gratitude to those who responded and rescued."
A ceremony was held at Chatsworth Hills Academy Friday to remember those aboard Metrolink train 111, which crashed a stone's throw from the campus in the 21500 block of Rinaldi Street. Firefighters used the grounds for a triage center.
A memorial oak tree was planted on the campus to pay tribute to the rescue crews who freed the trapped passengers and treated the 40 critically
injured people.
On a nearby campus bench, a plaque was unveiled that read, "Thank you to all who assisted during the Metrolink crash, and to responders everywhere who show us the meaning of bravery, compassion and community. September 12, 2009."
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was among those who spoke at Friday's ceremony.
"When we come together as we did here, when we unite together as we did here, we reaffirm our humanity," he said. "We reaffirm who we are."
Federal investigators have said the Metrolink engineer was sending a text message on his cell phone just seconds before the crash.
New legislation such as "The Rail Safety Improvement Act" swept fastly through Congress within weeks of the Metrolink crash.
Metrolink board members say they must have the authority to make unannounced crew inspections and to operate inward-facing video cameras at any given time.
The crash prompted many officials to place safety as the top priority for our nation's railroads.
An investigation revealed that Metrolink may have unsafe working conditions for its engineers and riders.
The engineer conducting the commuter train that fateful day had completed a 16-hour shift just 8 hours before and was manning the cab alone.
After the crash, safety experts recommended that the single-person crews used by Metrolink be replaced by two people and that they be given less grueling work schedules.
Experts also insisted that Metrolink install an automated-brake system that would reduce the risk of human error at rail intersections.
Metrolink agreed to put more engineers on their trains, ease up on their engineers' work hours, and look into automated controls.
A year later, only 13-30 percent of the trains have a second engineer manning the cab. The controversial split shifts are still in effect.
Rail officials hope to install positive train controls, which would stop trains if their engineers miss signals, but it may be five years before the 150-year-old practice of engineers observing signals is replaced.
Officials say there is a new culture of safety control within the company but they haven't yet reached their goals.
"We're not where we want to be," Metrolink Board Member Don Knabe said.
"We think that some things are just dragging too slow. And so as a real emphasis this morning we said, 'Hey, listen, that's not good enough. Do we need to push Congress? Do we need to push our senators? Let us know, because we're not going to sit back because here we are a year later."
This week, a Metrolink train crew ran a red light during a safety test, prompting transit officials to stop the train and delay some of its Ventura County and Antelope Valley lines.
The test was part of a new safety regimen and Metrolink spokesman Francisco Oaxaca said it was one of only a handful of failed tests in the
past year, and the first to cause a serious disruption in service.
A number of Metrolink commuters said they don't feel the trains are any safer than they were a year ago.
"I think it would be nice if they'd implement all the things they promised to," said Metrolink rider Tina Deis, "but in the meantime we're still going to ride.
"It's still, I think, a great system but I'd like to see more trains running more hours."
Many rail officials want to speed up the safety reforms but they say they're still in the works and will take years to take effect.
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