The status of implementing positive train control (PTC) technologies on the Nation’s rail network will be the subject of a Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials hearing next week.

PTC technologies are designed to automatically stop or slow a train before certain accidents occur — specifically, train-to-train collisions, derailments caused by excessive speed, unauthorized incursions by trains onto sections of track where maintenance activities are taking place, and movements of trains through track switches left in the wrong position.
The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 initially required that certain freight, commuter, and passenger rail lines in the United States install PTC by December 31, 2015.  The development and installation of new, and in some cases non-existent, components of PTC technologies led to various challenges.  Subsequently, after both the Federal Railroad Administration and the Government Accountability Office identified the need for an extension of the 2015 deadline, Congress unanimously approved to extend the deadline to December 31, 2018.  Congress has also provided for significant funding, through grants and loan programs, to further assist railroads in implementing PTC.
Next week, the Subcommittee will examine the progress railroads have made and the remaining challenges to meeting the December 2018 PTC implementation deadline.
The hearing of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, chaired by U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA), is entitled “The State of Positive Train Control Implementation in the United States.”  The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 13, 2018, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.
Witnesses:
The Honorable Ronald L. Batory, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration
The Honorable Robert Sumwalt, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board
Ms. Susan A. Fleming, Director, Physical Infrastructure Team, Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Mr. Scot Naparstek, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Amtrak
The Honorable Edward Hamberger, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of American Railroads
Mr. Jeffrey D. Knueppel, P.E., General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority; on behalf of American Public Transportation Association
Ms. Stacey Mortensen, Executive Director, Altamont Corridor Express