Amtrak warns Congress of rail shutdown
Wednesday, 22 Oct, 2015
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The chairman of Amtrak has warned lawmakers many train services across the country could grind to a halt by December if Congress does not extend a deadline for the implementation of new safety technology.
Amtrak Chairman Joseph Boardman wrote to Senate Commerce Committee chairman John Thune saying the Positive Train Control system (PTC) would not be installed nationwide by the original deadline of December 31, 2015.
Boardman has called for an extension as some host railroads will not meet the deadline.
The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 set the deadline for PTC by the end of this year.
The system regulates train speeds automatically by slowing down trains on sharp turns or in built up residential areas.
"Should Congress fail to pass legislation to extend the PTC deadline beyond December 31, 2015, there will be significant impacts to our service and on our customers and tenant railroads," Boardman said.
"The potential impacts would also be substantial, since a vast majority of our network would be inoperable without an extension of the deadline," he said.
Boardman said Amtrak would need to start notifying customers of potential disruption in early December if no extension is granted.
It would likely affect freight services as well as passenger trains.
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