AAR welcomes renewed call for Positive Train Control implementation extension

While the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has long stated its goal of having Positive Train Control (PTC) technology installed on 40 percent of its network by December 31, 2015, railroad industry stakeholders have repeatedly stated that reaching that deadline would be a stretch.

It now appears that the railroad sector has some members of Congress sharing the same line of thought with legislation rolled out this week that pledges to extend the PTC deadline to 2020.

The legislation, entitled “S.650 - A bill to extend the positive train control system implementation deadline, and for other purposes,” was introduced by Senators Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), Claire McCaskill (D-Arkansas), John Thune (R-South Dakota), and Bill Nelson (D-Florida).  Full text of the bill was not available at press time.

The objective of PTC systems is to prevent train-to-train collisions, overspeed derailments, and incursions into roadway work limits. PTC sends and receives a continuous stream of data transmitted by wireless signals about the location, speed, and direction of trains, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). PTC systems, added the FRA, utilize advanced technologies including digital radio links, global positioning systems and wayside computer control systems that aid dispatchers and train crews in safely managing train movements.

A mandate for PTC systems was included in House and Senate legislation-H.R. 2095/S. 1889, The Rail Safety and Improvement Act of 2008. The legislation was passed shortly after a September 12, 2008 collision between a freight train and a commuter train in Los Angeles. And it calls for passenger and certain hazmat rail lines to take effect by 2015 and authorizes $250 million in Federal grants.

This legislation was warmly endorsed by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

“America’s freight rail industry welcomes the legislation to extend the deadline for implementing Positive Train Control on the nation’s rail system and appreciates the Senators’ recognition that the existing mandate to have a fully interoperable, nationwide PTC system tested and safely operating by the end of 2015 is simply not possible and must be changed,” said AAR President and CEO Ed Hamberger. “The AAR believes the new deadline set by the legislation is a reasonable and responsible extension and provides the freight and passenger rail industries the time needed to fully install, test and approve PTC. While the freight rail industry has spent $5.2 billion to date on PTC and progress has been substantial, much remains to be done before PTC can safely operate coast to coast. This bill provides railroads the time necessary to fully and safely implement PTC without having to navigate an arbitrary and infeasible statutory deadline.”

In April 2014, the AAR issued a report in which it said a one-year moratorium on installing 20,000 communication antennas imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which was then followed by a federal approval process mandated by the FCC, has subsequently delayed the implementation of nationwide interoperable PTC. And due to these challenges the AAR explained that by the end of 2015 PTC will be installed on only 20 percent of the freight rail, and PTC, network, rather than the Congressionally-mandated goal of 40 percent.

The AAR and its Class I railroad members have made it clear for some time that its chances of meeting the original deadline were less than likely, often citing how the process has lacked the certainty needed to get PTC tested, fully functioning and certified.

The Senators have previously issued similar legislation in the past, entitled the Positive Train Control Extension Bill, which also called to push back the statutory deadline for PTC implementation on roughly 50,000 miles of U.S. railroads to December 31, 2020 as well as offer up an optional two-year extension should approval from the Federal Railroad Administration be granted. Also covered in this bill, according to its language, was an extension for short line railroads that operate on PTC-mandated track.

Some significant areas of progress freight railroads have made on PTC, according to the AAR are:
-installing or partially installing PTC equipment on 50 percent of the locomotives on which it will be required;
-deploying one third of the wayside units that will be required;
-replacing half of the signals needed for implementation and
-mapping most of the track that will be equipped with PTC

PTC has been commonly referred to as the “unfunded mandate” in railroad circles. A major concern of freight railroads has been that PTC rules finalized in January 2010 required PTC on sections of tracking where the cost is not justified, according to a March 2011 Wall Street Journal report.

At the 2012 RailTrends Conference hosted by Progressive Railroading magazine and independent rail analyst Tony Hatch, Deborah Hersman, former Chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, said that the technology for improved railroad safety is already there.

But what is needed, she said, is the will.

“The railroad community should have solved this by now,” she said. “Some of you have been involved in PTC pilots or tests dating back decades. 20 years ago I worked for members of Congress that supported these types of programs. We can do better. It is time to refocus on rail safety and [PTC]. The rails are safer and stronger, but there is still some distance to go. Railroads have so many tremendous growth opportunities and a role to play in our nation’s economy and its future. [Rails] could be carrying more of the load and carrying it more safely and efficiently.”

Hersman added that PTC could be key in reducing delays in costs, raising effective capacity, increasing reliability, improving customer satisfaction and energy utilization, reducing emissions, increasing security, and making railroads more economically viable.