The chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee recently introduced the bipartisan Positive Train Control Enforcement and Implementation Act of 2015, which would extend the deadline for implementing new railroad safety technology.
Initially, Congress mandated that the Positive Train Control technology would be implemented by passenger railroads, commuter railroads and freight railroad lines transporting toxic materials by Dec. 31. The majority of affected railroads, however, have indicated that they cannot meet the deadline, so they have requested that they be given more time to implement the new technology.
Agreeing with railroad companies’ concerns, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) co-sponsored the bill.
“Completion of the Positive Train Control mandate by the end of the year is not achievable, and extending the deadline is essential to preventing significant disruptions of both passenger and freight rail service across the country,” Shuster said. “Railroads must implement this important but complicated safety technology in a responsible manner, and we need to give them the necessary time to do so.”
If approved, the deadline to implement the new safety measures would be extended until the end of 2018.
