U.S. warns railroads on new safety system deadline

November 19, 2015, 6:04 AM
By Richard Wronski, Chicago Tribune
rwronski@tribpub.com
@richwronski

The federal government is warning the nation's railroads, including Chicago's Metra, that it intends to "aggressively enforce" a new deadline for installation of a high-tech safety system.

In a letter Thursday to freight and commuter railroads, Federal Railroad Administration leader Sarah Feinberg said her agency will issue fines and take other action if railroads fail to meet the timetables and requirements called for by legislation Congress passed Oct. 28.

The safety system, known as Positive Train Control, was supposed to be in place by the end of this year. It is intended to prevent crashes such as the Amtrak derailment in May that killed eight people in Philadelphia. ... But with railroads behind schedule and complaining that they would have to shut down if the Dec. 31 deadline was not extended, Congress gave them three more years, with extensions possible until 2020.

In her letter, which the Tribune obtained, Feinberg said railroads must submit revised PTC implementation plans by Jan. 27. Those plans must spell out detailed schedules for activating their PTC systems by Dec. 31, 2018. ... If a railroad fails to file a plan as required, the law allows the FRA to assess penalties of at least $5,000 per day.