FRA: Railroads report ‘uneven progress’ on PTC implementation

Positive Train Control has been fully implemented on 12 percent of freight railroad tracks, up from 9 percent in the second quarter of 2016, according to the latest PTC progress report from the Federal Railroad Administration.    United States railroads are reporting “uneven progress” in the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC), according to the latest PTC progress report from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
   The FRA said in its third quarter 2016 report that PTC has been fully implemented on 12 percent of freight railroad tracks and 23 percent of passenger rail lines as of Sept. 30, up from 9 percent and 22 percent, respectively, in the second quarter.
   The administration noted that the “measurable progress made by passenger railroads has been predominately on the West Coast, while East Coast railroads, other than SEPTA and Amtrak, have remained relatively stagnant.”
   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.
   Back 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.
   FRA has posted on its website a complete list of when railroads anticipate they will achieve full PTC implementation.
   “Passenger and freight railroads must continue their progress implementing Positive Train Control and work to beat the deadlines Congress set – because PTC saves lives,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.
   “In order to achieve full PTC implementation, everyone has to do their part – railroads must make implementation a priority, and Congress must make funding for commuter railroads a priority,” added FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg.
   In response to the FRA’s latest PTC progress report, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) issued a statement noting the complexities of developing, installing and testing PTC technology, according to industry news outlet Progressive Railroading.
   “To this point, the freight-rail industry has invested more than $7.1 billion on this complex technology, spending $100 million a month on continuous development, testing and installation, with final costs expected to reach about $10.6 billion by the time it is fully operational,” AAR said.