APTA: Commuter rail industry on track to meet year-end PTC deadline
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
BNSF will be working on the Metra BNSF line this weekend.
David C. Lester
With all of the news about politics, the election, and COVID, stories about PTC have moved to the inside pages of newspapers, so to speak. However, the final deadline for implementation of this technology for most railroads, including commuter railroads, is just over a month away – Dec. 31, 2020.
This week, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced that, based on third quarter progress reports, the commuter rail industry is on track for meeting the December 2020 deadline.
APTA says “As of Sept. 30, 2020, 100 percent of railroads are PTC certified by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) or awaiting FRA approval on submitted PTC safety plans. Seven out of 23 railroads are certified by FRA, and 16 railroads have submitted their safety plans to FRA, a required step before certification, and are awaiting the agency’s approval. Six other commuter railroads are tenants and their hosts have been approved by FRA.”
APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas said “The commuter rail industry is poised to complete full implementation of positive train control by December 2020. Riding commuter rail is 18 times safer than driving an auto, and as an industry, we are committed to being a leader in rider safety by implementing Positive Train Control. Our industry has devoted tremendous time and resources to ensuring the safety of riders through PTC implementation.”
More information is available on on APTA’s website.
