On Monday, July 27th, TCU National Vice President and Legislative Director Ron Kloos joined John Risch of the SMART Transportation Division in asking the U.S. Senate to support a revised deadline for rail carriers to implement Positive Train Control (PTC). The letter asks Senators not to allow a PTC extension to derail a potential long-term transportation funding bill and also warns of the potential impact of keeping the current end-of-year deadline.
For years TCU has urged and supported the swift implementation of PTC since the new technology will significantly enhance safety for consumers and workers throughout our nation’s rail network. However, the current deadline for PTC adoption has become undoable for many railroads due to various unforeseen challenges outside of their control.
As a result, the current deadline would impose penalties and costs that could threaten the business operations of some railroads, including our nation’s commuter railroads. In the Washington Metro Area, two commuter railroads – the MARC and the VRE – have announced they will discontinue service if PTC-related penalties and fines are imposed. The shuttering of operations of any railroad is clearly not the intention of the PTC deadline, and that is why TCU supports a limited deadline extension.
[Click HERE to read the full letter]