Positive Train Control, and the current statutory deadline for railroads to implement the technology of December 31, 2015, is once again front and center news following the December 1 Metro-North commuter rail accident. The accident, apparently caused by a speeding train, caused 4 deaths and dozens of injuries.
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) has proposed new legislation titled the "Commuter Rail Passenger Safety Act" in a recent press release. The proposed legislation has not been released, but is intended to assist commuter rail lines in implementing PTC.
Specifically, the proposed law would provide access to Federal Railroad Administration loan guarantees under its Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program (RRIF), which provides both direct loans and loan guarantees. Also, the law proposes reauthorizing the Railroad Safety Technology Grant Program, which fell victim to the recent budget battles and expired on October 1, 2013.
Other news related to the Metro-North accident, is the NTSB's revocation of "Party Status" to the investigation of the union which represents the train's engineer. The NTSB removed the Association of Commuter Rail Employees (ACRE) from the investigation for discussing details of the on-going investigation, a violation of the NSTB's "Party Agreement." This NTSB press release explains.
Prior the recent Metro-North accident, there seemed to be consensus that not all railroads would meet the December 2015 PTC deadline, with the GAO recommending that Congress permit the FRA to grant case-by-case extensions and approve alternative technologies (see my post of 9/17/13 on the GAO's report here). In the post Metro-North environment, the question is whether significant extensions to the current PTC deadline will be granted or not.
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