Full Title: Assessment of the Economic and Social Impacts of the Failure of Congress to Extend the Compliance Deadline for Positive Train Control (PTC)
Author(s): Â American Chemistry Council
Publisher(s): American Chemistry Council
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Under the Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) of 2008, railroads are required to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) on lines that ship certain hazardous materials and carry passengers by rail by December 31, 2015. Despite the efforts and investment that are ongoing to implement PTC, the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Government Accounting Office (GAO), and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) have clearly stated that the railroads will not be able to fully implement PTC by the deadline. Most railroads have publicly stated that they will be forced to shut down large portions of rail service unless the deadline is extended. Though the requirements for PTC under the RSIA are directed to passenger rail and the shipments of toxic inhalation hazard (TIH) chemicals, the rail shutdowns could extend to the shipments of all freight that would normally be transported on those lines. As a result, an extensive proportion of the nation’s rail network would effectively be shutdown or curtailed.