When a passenger boards a Metro-North train, there is every expectation to arrive at the destination safely.
Yet Congress is considering easing a year-end deadline for railroads to install a technology — called Positive Train Control — that will prevent accidents like those due to speed on curves. Some of the nation’s railroads, including Metro-North, say they cannot meet the Dec. 31 deadline, which was mandated in 2008 after a California crash killed 25.
A Federal Railroad Administration safety officer testified before a Congress last week that 71 percent of rail commuter lines in the country will not make the deadline. Positive Train Control, which automatically slows down or stops a train, can prevent four types of accidents: a train-to-train collision on the same track, a switch improperly aligned or a bridge not in the right position, as well as excessive speed on a curve.
Read more from CTPost.
Related News
- SMART-TD’s Chris Smith Wins City Council Seat in Tama, Iowa
- Railroader Healthcare Costs Remain Stable While National Averages Soar
- Call to Action in Mass.: Transit Safety Legislation Up for Final Vote
- New Jersey’s “Vote Labor” Push led by SMART-TD’s Ron Sabol
- Stand with Sister Nydia Sandoval on Monday!
- Union Leadership Meets with New N.S. Trainees in McDonough, Georgia
- CSX Asks to keep Safety Reports out of the Crew Rooms, Injuries are Up, Fatalities Continue, and Transparency is Down
- Semi Crushes Member in Decatur, Ill.
- Long-time Union Ally Mikie Sherrill Runs for New Jersey Governor
- SMART-TD to FAA: Keep Drones Out of Our Rail Yards