Positive train control hearing scheduled for Feb. 15

U.S. Reps. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., and Michael Capuano, D-Mass., said they look forward to hearing how efforts are coming along on the implementation of positive train control, which can prevent accidents by overriding a conductor to slow or stop a train.    The Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will host a hearing Feb. 15 on positive train control (PTC) implementation.
   The committee will hear from various groups and organizations, including Amtrak, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), private rail operators, public transit officials and labor, said U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., who chairs the subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials.
   PTC is a wireless communication system that can prevent an accident by overriding a conductor to slow or stop a train.
   The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 required PTC implementation across a significant portion of the nation’s rail system by Dec. 31, 2015, but Congress later extended the deadline to Dec. 31, 2018, with the possibility of an additional two-year extension under certain circumstances.
   Commenting on the upcoming hearing later this month, Denham said, “PTC implementation is crucial to the safety of rail transportation for passengers, motorists and pedestrians alike. I look forward to hearing how efforts are progressing nationwide.”
   Further supporting PTC implementation, Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., said, “Periodic updates ensure that everyone is working towards meeting the congressionally imposed deadline for PTC. I look forward to hearing directly from those responsible for implementing PTC on their progress.”
   Meanwhile, on Dec. 27, 2017, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao sent letters to the nation’s Class I railroads, intercity passenger railroads, and state and local transit authorities, expressing how the Department of Transportation (DOT) is “concerned that many of the nation’s railroads must greatly accelerate their efforts to achieve the Congressionally mandated requirements.”
   However, railroads have argued that PTC, which relies on GPS, wireless radio and computers, is complicated and costly to install.
   “As of December, eight of the 37 railroads required to implement PTC systems on their own tracks have obtained conditional PTC System Certification from FRA,” the FRA said on Dec. 18, 2017.
   A total of 41 railroads are subject to the statutory PTC implementation mandate and must implement FRA-certified PTC systems by the end of 2018, unless a railroad obtains a limited deadline extension, the FRA explained.
   “Twelve railroads have completed installation of all hardware necessary for PTC system implementation,” the FRA also said in its Dec. 18, 2017 statement. “Another 12 railroads report having installed less than 50 percent of the hardware required for their PTC systems, as of Sept. 30, 2017.
   “Twenty-six railroads have begun field testing PTC systems on segments of track. Data submitted by railroads show that PTC systems are in operation on 45 percent of the required route miles of track owned by freight railroads and 24 percent of the route miles of track owned by passenger railroads,” the FRA concluded.