positive train control News

Federal Safety Officials Launch Probe into Chicago Commuter Train Crash

CHICAGO (AP) — Federal safety officials investigating a Chicago commuter train crash that injured nearly 40 people when it slammed into snow-removal equipment are focusing on a “design problem” with its braking system. National Transportation Safety Board Chairperson Jennifer Homendy …

California Railroad Tests Use of Quake Alerts to Stop Trains

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California regional passenger rail service announced Thursday that is testing technology that will use the West Coast’s earthquake early warning system to automatically slow or stop trains before shaking begins. The five-county Metrolink system …

Transportation Dept. Announces Railroads, Transit Systems Meet Key Safety Deadline

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Transportation Department announced Tuesday that anti-derailment technology positive train control, or PTC, is in operation on all required railroad route miles ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline set by Congress. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has …

Labor Wants to Derail Cut in Train Crews from 2 to 1 Due to Brake Technology

OMAHA, Neb. — How many people does it take to operate a locomotive? For the railroad industry, the answer is simple: One. The industry is hoping this year’s scheduled completion of an automatic railroad braking system will bolster its argument …

CSX Safety Lapses Blamed for 2018 Fatal Amtrak Collision in South Carolina

CSX Corp.’s lax approach to safety caused a fatal collision between a passenger train and one of the company’s parked freight trains last year, U.S. accident investigators concluded Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board cited what it called multiple layers …

Governor Says NJ Transit Has Met Safety Equipment Deadline

New Jersey Transit has made enough progress on installing a federally mandated emergency braking system to meet a year-end deadline, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday. At a news conference at NJ Transit’s maintenance yard, the Democratic governor said the transit …

NJ Transit Will Miss Deadline for Installing Positive Train Control

Lifesaving technology aboard New Jersey Transit trains won’t be in place by a Dec. 31 deadline set by Congress, the agency’s executive director told board members. The operator of the nation’s second-biggest commuter railroad, which leads its peers for accidents …

BNSF on Track for Positive Train Control Installation

BNSF Railway is one of the first railroads to fully implement new safety technology that will be required by federal regulators by the end of the year, a company spokeswoman said. The new technology, known as positive train control, is …

NJ Transit Plans Reduced Schedule to Meet Safety Deadline

New Jersey Transit said Thursday it will reduce its train service over the next several months as it tries to install a federally mandated safety system by a Dec. 31 deadline. Last week, the Federal Railroad Administration sent a letter …

Senators Give Railroads an Ultimatum on Crash Prevention Control

U.S. regulators should crack down on railroads which fail to meet a looming deadline to activate systems that safety officials have said could have prevented two recent deadly Amtrak accidents, said top senators on an oversight panel. By year end, …