Yup, any controller can set a signal to red (that’s how we do track blocks, said clips are the backup to that because you always want the dude in the sky to kno

Yup, any controller can set a signal to red (that’s how we do track blocks, said clips are the backup to that because you always want the dude in the sky to know you’re there). Not all trains have kit to stop a SPAD, unless you meant specifically in the instance of the operator involved in this incident. Some do, but it’s absolutely not universal around the world. For example, Automatic Train Protection (ATP) can do this, but it requires both a track-side magnet and the rolling stock to have the kit for it. We use that to trigger our driver vigilance system acknowledgement when approaching suburban passenger stations. Failure to acknowledge the vigilance prompt will throw the brake to emergency and stop the train. That said, it’s absolutely not present out in the Wild West of freight (because maintaining that many ATP magnets is insanely prohibitive).