Sec. Chao urges swift PTC implementation among US railroads

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Elaine Chao sent a form letter to 47 Class 1, intercity and state and local transit authorities to stress the urgency and importance of implementing positive train control (PTC) by Dec. 31, 2018.

Sec. Chao’s letter explained that the coming year is filled with rail safety-oriented initiatives with PTC implementation among the most important. She noted that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) would continue to work with the railroads as the congressionally-mandated deadline approaches.

“Safety is our top priority at the U.S. Department of Transportation,” said Secretary Chao. “The FRA leadership has been directed to work with your organization’s leadership to help create an increased level of urgency to underscore the imperative of meeting existing expecta­tions for rolling out this critical rail-safety technology.”

According to USDOT eight of the 37 railroads required to implement PTC systems on their own tracks have obtained conditional PTC System Certification from FRA; 12 railroads have completed installation of all hardware necessary and another 12 report having installed less than 50 percent of the required hardware (as of Sept. 30, 2017). USDOT says 26 railroads have begun field testing PTC systems with those systems in operation on 45 percent of the required freight route miles and 24 percent of the required passenger route miles (as of Sept. 30, 2017).

USDOT also said FRA “took significant action to ensure that railroads implement PTC systems in a timely and safe manner, including assessing civil penalties against certain railroads that failed to complete hardware installation milestones they scheduled to complete during calendar year 2016 in their PTC Implementation Plans.”

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