Safety
PTC costs to shut Utah commuter line
(Source: Railway Age 02/21/2018) Written by Stuart Chirls, Senior Editor Transit officials in Utah plan to suspend services on a segment of commuter rail connecting the suburbs north of Salt Lake City, citing the prohibitive cost of complying with new federal safety rules mandating PTC (Positive Train Control). FrontRunner commuter rail service to Pleasant View, with the lowest ridership…
Read MoreFRA kicks off rail-crossing safety campaign
(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/06/2018) The Federal Railroad Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have launched a $4.3 million campaign to educate the public about the dangers of railroad grade crossings. Federal Railroad Administrator Ronald Batory announced the campaign at his swearing-in ceremony held last week. “This subject matter will always be close to my heart, having personally experienced on…
Read MoreTwo-thirds of U.S. commuter railroads may not meet PTC deadline: report
(Source: Reuters, February 28, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — As many as two-thirds of the 29 U.S. commuter railroads may not meet a deadline to install an anti-crash technology by the end of the year, according to a report by a government watchdog seen by Reuters. The report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office is expected…
Read MoreNTSB Chair: No more delays on railway safety
(Source: The State opinion column by NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt, February 20, 2018) COLUMBIA, S.C. — Although the investigation is ongoing into the tragic Amtrak passenger train crash in Cayce, we knew immediately that a rail switch had been improperly set, diverting the Amtrak into a siding occupied by a stationary CSX train. Full story: The…
Read MorePTC hearing: Amtrak to suspend operations over non-compliant routes after 2018
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/16/2018) Amtrak will consider suspending service on tracks that don’t have positive train control (PTC) in place by the Dec. 31 deadline, the railroad’s president told a House subcommittee yesterday. President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson told the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials that there will be carriers over which Amtrak…
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