Previously, I blogged about the ongoing progress regarding the installation of Positive Train Control (PTC) systems by U.S. freight and passenger rail lines.

As a reminder, PTC is a highly effective technology designed to monitor locomotive operations along 60,000 miles of track and to help keep trains from derailing by automatically slowing or stopping a train when the system senses a potentially dangerous situation. The FRA mandated installation of PTC in America's trains in 2008, prompted in large part by a deadly accident that year in Chatsworth, California. A westbound Metrolink Ventura County Line Train collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train, killing 25 and injuring 135. That incident, along with an additional 15 freight trains and 10 passenger train accidents occurring between 2001 and 2008 and resulting in 34 deaths and 600 injuries all could have been prevented by PTC, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Slowly but surely, progress is being made in the drawn-out process of implementing PTC technology. In fact, PTC implementation has increased greatly in the past two years. For freight railroads, implementation has increased from 16% to 83%, while passenger railroad implementation has increased from 24% to 30%. For locomotives, implementation has increased from 42% to 100% for freight trains and from 41% to 91% for passenger trains.  

In the state of Florida, 12 miles of the SunRail Corridor have PTC and the entire 61-mile stretch is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2019. Miami Tri-Rail trains, which are expected to open for passenger use by the end of 2019, have installed PTC technology that just needs to be synced with Brightline’s PTC system.

Class I railroads are expected to finalize their PTC technology before the newest deadline of Dec. 31, 2020. To assist in this process, the White House is requesting $13 million from Congress for fiscal 2020 to aid in PTC implementation, along with an additional $9.5 million to better evaluate train track conditions. 

At the same time, there have already been a number of missed deadlines followed by extensions, beginning with an original PTC implementation deadline of Dec. 31, 2015. With that being said, we can only hope that current expectations are accurate and that the expansion of PTC operations will increase train safety by preventing future rail accidents and derailments across the nation.