"Railroads Face Big Fines for Failure To Meet Federal Safety Deadline"

"The Federal Railroad Administration plans to impose big penalties on railroads that fail to meet a year-end deadline to install a new collision avoidance system, including more than 70 percent of the nation’s commuter railroads.

Congress mandated Positive Train Control in 2008, but most of the nation’s commuter and freight railroads won’t have the system ready by Dec. 31. The technology is required for about 60,000 miles of track, including those that carry passengers or chemicals that are poisonous or toxic by inhalation.

A push in Congress to extend the deadline by three to five years has stalled, and lawmakers aren’t scheduled to return to the Capitol until next month."

Curtis Tate reports for the McClatchy Washington Bureau August 7, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Report Urges Technology Upgrades to Boost Rail Safety" (InsideSource)