NCTD leaders slam federal requirement on PTC mandate
North County Transit
District leaders in the San Diego area floated the idea of refusing to pay for
an expensive and federally mandated rail safety program, then did a quick
about-face when they learned such a move could shut down the district’s coastal
railway, the North county Times reports. In the end, the district’s board voted
8-1 to pay for a $332,728 study of how to install positive train control. The
required safety technology could cost NCTD anywhere from $27 million to $90
million. To put that in perspective, as board member and Solana Beach City
Councilman Dave Roberts did, $90 million is about the size of NCTD’s entire
annual budget.