FRA: PTC status update underscores need for continued funding

The Federal Railroad Administration released a status update yesterday on implementation of Positive Train Control, highlighting the need for greater funding from Congress for railroads to implement the technology “as quickly and safely as possible.”    The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a status update yesterday on implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC), highlighting the need for greater funding from Congress for railroads to implement the technology “as quickly and safely as possible.”
   PTC is a wireless communication system that can override a conductor to slow or stop a train to prevent an accident. Congress mandated implementation of PTC in 2008 for all U.S. railroads by Dec. 31, 2015.
   When railroads realized last year they would fail to meet the deadline, many threatened to shut down entirely rather than be subject to steep fines and increased liability, prompting lawmakers to extend the deadline in order to avoid a potential shutdown of major cargo and passenger services. Supporters of the system claim it will drastically improve railroad safety, but railways have complained that PTC, which relies on GPS, wireless radio and computers, is complicated and expensive to install.
   The deadline extension to 2018 included a provision under which railroads could petition the FRA for an extra two years to implement the intricate system.
   In February, three Class I railways – CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian National Railway – along with a handful of passenger railroads, told the FRA they would need until 2020 to install PTC across their networks. Kansas City Southern, Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific all said they would meet the 2018 deadline.
   The FRA’s status update includes quarterly data for all railroads as of June 30, 2016, covering track segments completed, employees trained, radio towers installed, route miles in PTC operation and other key implementation data. FRA in March began requiring railroads to submit quarterly reports to the administration on their progress in implementation of PTC.
   The administration earlier this week awarded nearly $25 million in grant funding to total of 11 projects in six states and the District of Columbia for PTC implementation under the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which funds the U.S. Department of Transportation.
   FRA said many of the awards will help railroads achieve interoperability among the different PTC systems they are deploying. The grant awards followed a July announcement by DOT that commuter railroads and state governments would be able to apply for around $199 million in PTC grants.
   “Positive Train Control should be installed as quickly as possible,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “This is lifesaving technology available now, and railroads should continue to aggressively work to beat the deadlines Congress has put in place.”
   “The official deadline for Positive Train Control may be years away, but the urgency for railroads to activate it is now,” added FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg. “Every day that passes without PTC, we risk adding another preventable accident to a list that is already too long. FRA will continue to push railroads to stay focused on implementation and urge Congress to fund this life-saving technology.”