According to NTSB, Positive Train Control Could Have Prevented Derailment of Amtrak 188 in Late May / In 2011 Casey First Raised Concerns on Lack of Progress on PTC and Following May Derailment Casey Led 22 Senators in Push to Fully Fund Positive Train Control
Malvern PA- Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) received a briefing from SEPTA on Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation and called on Congress to fully fund PTC in its upcoming budget. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), PTC could have prevented the derailment of Amtrak 188 in late May. In 2011, Casey first raised concerns about the lack of progress on PTC implementation and following May’s derailment, Casey led 22 Senators to push to fully fund PTC.
“Transit agencies shouldn’t have to choose between fixing crumbling bridges and implementing basic safety measures like PTC,” Senator Casey said. “To date, Congress has only allocated $50 million specifically for PTC but, the cost on commuter rail system nationwide are expected to exceed $2 billion. Congress should take steps to fund PTC implementation this year.”
Positive Train Control
PTC is a communications and signaling system that has been identified by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as a technology capable of preventing incidents caused by train operator or dispatcher error. PTC is expected to reduce the number of incidents due to excessive speed, conflicting train movements, and engineer failure to obey wayside signals. PTC uses signals and sensors along the track to communicate train location, speed restrictions, and moving authority. If the train is violating any of these items, on-board equipment will automatically slow or stop the train.
Casey Actions
- In 2010, Casey voted for The Rail Safety Improvement Act which mandated that freight and passenger rail implement positive train control (PTC) and automatic train control (ATC) by December 31, 2015.
- In June 2011, Casey led a letter to the Commerce Committee requesting a hearing to direct the FCC to resolve and address the spectrum issues associated with PTC.
- In 2013, SEPTA received $10 million from DOT’s TIGER grant program, which Casey advocated for and worked to secure, to separate passenger and freight trains on the West Trenton Regional Rail Line, which has the third-highest ridership route in the region. The six-mile, shared-use corridor is nearing capacity, carrying 20 freight trains and 57 commuter trains per day, and providing access to the Port of Philadelphia. The project involves separation of freight and passenger rail and the addition of a third track, providing congestion relief on a rapidly growing corridor. Without separation, the six-mile segment on the line would be the only portion of SEPTA’s 220-mile track network unable to support the Amtrak-compatible PTC technology the Authority is installing. This funding helped to ensure that SEPTA’s commitment to achieving full PTC compliance was not in jeopardy.
- In April 2014, Casey signed onto a letter led by Senators Coons and Blumenthal to THUD Appropriations Committee expressing support for FY15 funding for Amtrak. The letter advocated that funding would allow Amtrak to continue to implement critical safety measures, like PTC.
- In March 2015, Casey signed on to a led a letter with Senators Coons and Booker to the THUD Appropriations Committee which expressed support for Amtrak’s $2 billion FY16 funding request. The letter advocated that funding would allow Amtrak to continue to implement critical safety measures, like PTC.
- In May 2015, Casey led a letter with 22 other Senators calling for increased funding for Positive Train Control
