House rail subcommittee to focus on PTC during hearing

A Congressional hearing on WMATA issues will be held tomorrow.

File photo

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials has scheduled a hearing on Sept. 13 that will focus on the rail industry’s implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC).

Representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, Association of American Railroads, American Public Transportation Association, National Transportation Safety Board, Government Accountability Office and Altamont Corridor Express are scheduled to testify.

This is the second PTC-focused hearing of the year with the subcommittee tackling the oversight of the technology at a February hearing.

A committee press release said the subcommittee will examine the progress railroads have made and the remaining challenges to meeting the December 2018 PTC implementation deadline.

Witnesses scheduled to testify include:

• The Honorable Ronald L. Batory, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration
• The Honorable Robert Sumwalt, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board
• Ms. Susan A. Fleming, Director, Physical Infrastructure Team, Government Accountability Office
• Mr. Scot Naparstek, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Amtrak
• The Honorable Edward Hamberger, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of American Railroads
• Mr. Jeffrey D. Knueppel, P.E., General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority; on behalf of American Public Transportation Association
• Ms. Stacey Mortensen, Executive Director, Altamont Corridor Express

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Sept. 13, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building; it will also be live streamed on the House T&I Committee’s website.