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PTC Deadline Extended - 12/31/20


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#21 CNJRoss

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Posted 16 September 2015 - 08:53 PM

Poughkeepsie (NY) Journal, 9/15:

 

Editorial: Rail safety lapses put public in peril

 

This is what happens when the government sets an important, potentially life-saving regulatory deadline, then moves on to other matters without the necessary rigid checks and benchmarks along the way to see the ultimate goal is being reached.

 

The results can be disastrous. And that is precisely what we are seeing today. In this case, it involves rail safety, in the wake of several deadly derailments involving passenger trains and the dramatic spike in crude-oil shipments.

 

In the last year or so, much has been made about GPS-related technology that perhaps could have prevented the derailments and could make rail service safer in general. Both government and industry have known changes have been needed for some time — in fact, railroad giants have been urged for decades to improve their technology and upgrade their equipment.

 

SNIP

 

What’s more, since 2008, rail shipments of crude oil have risen from about 10,000 carloads five years ago to nearly 500,000 now. And anywhere between 15 to 30 trains carrying the crude pass through the Hudson Valley each week.

 

The federal government and rail industry had the chance to get ahead of this problem, but they completely blew it. Now is not the time for more lax deadlines.

 

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#22 CNJRoss

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Posted 17 September 2015 - 09:41 AM

NS Service Update:

 

Positive Train Control Update

 

September 17, 2015

 

Dear Valued Norfolk Southern Customer:

 

I appreciate this opportunity to update you on an issue of importance to us both.

 

As you are aware, on October 16, 2008, Congress enacted the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, establishing an unfunded mandate to implement an interoperable Positive Train Control (PTC) system by December 31, 2015.  Despite massive efforts and already having spent nearly $1 billion toward meeting this arbitrary deadline, multiple issues outside our control make it impossible for Norfolk Southern, or any other Class I railroad, to meet the deadline. 

 

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. John Thune wrote Norfolk Southern on August 28, 2015, asking us to explain how our railroad and stakeholders will be impacted if Congress does not extend the deadline.  Jim Squires, our president and chief executive officer, responded in a letter September 9, 2015.  In Jim’s letter, which you may access from our website, we explained that we face the risk of serious financial penalties associated with enforcement of the PTC deadline.  In addition, enforcement of the PTC deadline exposes us to the risk of being deemed liable for any accident involving TIH traffic or passengers on NS after December 31, 2015, despite the fact that our railroad would remain every bit as safe after the arbitrary PTC deadline as we were before the deadline.

 

Most relevant to you as an NS customer, we outlined that we might be required to cease shipping TIH commodities and to decline to host passenger trains on our network effective January 1, 2016, as the only complete solution to the risks of non-compliance.  Ceasing to haul TIH commodities would be disruptive to our customers and could have negative downstream impacts on supply chains that ripple through the U.S. economy.  Of course, we are working diligently with Congress to avoid this potential shutdown of rail services, and we would not take such drastic action lightly.

 

NS remains committed to installing a fully functional and interoperable PTC system on our rail network as quickly as reasonably and safely possible.  We deeply regret the impact this unrealistic deadline could have on our customers. 

 

We appreciate your interest in the PTC issue and will keep you informed as this situation develops.

 

 

Alan Shaw

Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

 



#23 CNJRoss

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Posted 17 September 2015 - 10:01 AM

Progressive Railroading, 9/17:

 

 
GAO report underscores need for PTC extension, AAR's Hamberger says A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released this week confirms what the rail industry has been saying for years: Congress needs to extend the deadline for railroads to implement positive train control (PTC) technology, Association of American Railroads President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Hamberger said yesterday.

"The GAO report reinforces the freight rail industry's contention that PTC is an extremely complex technology that requires more time to install and safely test," Hamberger said in a prepared statement. "Freight rail operators have always contended that the Congressionally mandated 2015 deadline for having PTC fully functional and being used coast to coast by passenger and freight rail alike was not realistic."

The report found that most U.S. railroads won't meet the federally mandated Dec. 31 deadline to install the rail safety technology, and that legislation is necessary to extend the deadline.

 

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#24 CNJRoss

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Posted 17 September 2015 - 07:30 PM

The New York Times, 9/16:

 

Panel Urges More Time on Train Safety Technology

 

WASHINGTON — Congress should extend the deadline for freight and passenger railroads to install technology that could prevent deadly train accidents like the Amtrak derailment in May that killed eight people and injured more than 200, according to a report released on Wednesday.

 

Congress set a deadline of Dec. 31 for freight and commuter rail companies to install the technology, which is known as positive train control, after a California passenger train accident in 2008 killed 25 people. But the new report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found that the vast majority of railroads would not meet that deadline.

 

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#25 CNJRoss

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Posted 18 September 2015 - 03:37 PM

Railway Gazette, 9/18:

 

Railroads warn of worst-case scenario if PTC deadline is not extended

 

USA: Congress must act to extend the 'unattainable' December 31 2015 deadline for the roll-out of Positive Train Control, rail industry associations reiterated in response to the release on September 16 of a Government Accountability Office report which says the Federal Railroad Administration needs to develop an adequate and comprehensive plan for overseeing progress with installation.

 

The GAO interviewed a representative sample of 29 railways, including the four biggest. Five expect to complete PTC installation by the deadline, 20 expect completion within five years, and three have no estimated date; one is exempt owing to limited speeds.

 

Problems include development complexity, supply industry and regulatory review capacity, funding and lack of access to the required radio spectrum. Concerns were expressed about interoperability, with one railway required to determine which of 260 other operators using its tracks would require PTC.

 

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#26 CNJRoss

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Posted 18 September 2015 - 05:20 PM

STB news release:

 

POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL CORRESPONDENCE AVAILABLE ON STB WEBSITEecblank.gifecblank.gif
 

 

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has posted on its website recent correspondence between Congress and the Class I freight railroad industry, related to the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC). Given the importance of this issue to railroads, shippers, passengers, and all who depend on goods moving by rail, the STB believes that this correspondence should be shared with the public. The Class I railroads provided the correspondence in response to a request from the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and some have been shared with the STB.

STB Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III recently sent a letter to the Commerce Committee in response to its request for his views on issues related to PTC and the implementation deadline of December 31, 2015.

To view the Chairman’s reply, and freight railroad industry correspondence, click http://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/rail/PTC_Correspondence.html .

 

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#27 CNJRoss

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 12:31 PM

BNSF Customer Notification (late post):

 

To: All BNSF Customers

 

09/09/2015

Important Update on Positive Train Control Implementation



I wanted to share with you a copy of a letter that BNSF President and CEO, Carl Ice, sent in reply to U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman, Senator John Thune, who requested information from all Class I freight railroads on the potential impacts to our freight networks and our customers if the statutory deadline for Positive Train Control (PTC) deployment is not extended past the end of this year. No Class I railroad, including BNSF, will meet the December 31, 2015 deadline for implementation.

 

09-09-2015 BNSF PTC Response.pdf

 

As you will see in the letter, Senator Thune specifically requested that we provide the issues and challenges that could arise if Congress does not extend the statutory deadline and what actions we are considering or analyzing as a result of these issues and challenges. Legal analysis of the statutes and regulations calls into question whether we can legally operate any freight or passenger service on mandated lines where PTC has not been installed and is not operational by January 1, 2016.

 

There are several legal and policy reasons that cause us to question our ability to operate after the deadline expires. While we recognize our common carrier obligation, these questions lead BNSF to believe that it cannot operate in violation of the law.

 

PTC is the biggest technological change implemented by the railroad industry – ever. It is even bigger than the conversion from steam to diesel powered locomotives. The technological complexity of the PTC system and the scope of implementation is on a scale that we have never seen. BNSF has made significant progress in installation of PTC system equipment but has also experienced the technical challenges that come from being one of the first to implement a complex and sophisticated system.

 

Nonetheless, BNSF is deeply committed to deployment and we are equally committed to getting the implementation done right. We continue to test and implement the system as quickly as possible and will continue to work with Congress to pass a clean extension for deploying this very important technology transformation.

 

BNSF will continue to work to avoid adverse impacts to our customers in the absence of an extension. That includes a commitment to continued communication and providing information as we approach the deadline so that you have the best, and most current information possible for making planning decisions for your business.

 

Steve Bobb
Executive Vice President and
Chief Marketing Officer

 



#28 CNJRoss

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Posted 22 September 2015 - 10:14 AM

Progressive Railroading 9/22:

 

Metra: No rail service after Dec. 31 without PTC deadline extension

 

Metra's board determined yesterday that the Chicago-area commuter railroad will cease service after Dec. 31 unless Congress extends the federal deadline for railroads to install positive train control (PTC) safety technology.

 

The board acted after recommendation from its attorneys that advised Metra should not operate trains after the deadline. Operating after Dec. 31 would subject the railroad to potential Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, including substantial civil penalties, issuance of compliance or emergency orders, and injunctions or criminal penalties, Metra officials said in a press release.

 

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Metra news release (w/links to Metra legal memorandum and PTC Resolution).



#29 CNJRoss

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Posted 23 September 2015 - 11:01 AM

Politico New Jersey 9/23:
 

 

MTA, Port Authority warn of possible commuter railroad shut down

 

The region’s major commuter railroads could shut down after Dec. 31 — crippling the economies of New York, New Jersey and beyond — if Congress does not extend a looming deadline to install new train technology.

 

That’s the message the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey delivered in letters sent last week to the chairman of the Senate’s commerce committee. 

 

SNIP 

 

The MTA said it could be forced to shut down the Metro North and Long Island Rail Road, while the Port said its PATH trains could face a similar fate.

 

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#30 CNJRoss

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Posted 26 September 2015 - 09:03 PM

Connecticut Post, Bridgeport, CT 9/24:

 

Editorial
 

Extend train safety deadline only case by case

 

The issue: Seven years ago Congress mandated that railroads would have to install a safety system called Positive Train Control (PTC) to prevent accidents caused by excessive speed on curves or by other factors. The action was in response to a California crash that killed 25 people.

 

The deadline for installing the sophisticated system is Dec. 31, and most railroads in the country are nowhere near meeting it.  .  .  .

 

SNIP 

 

.  .  .  Clearly the railroads cannot meet this December deadline, but extensions should be allowed only case-by-case after a careful review of the progress and plans.

 

There is no need for an adversarial relationship among Congress, the FRA and the country’s railroads. But neither should it be cozy. The safety of passengers is the paramount concern.

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