Positive Train Control (PTC): Overview and Policy Issues

Following several high-profile train accidents, Congress passed the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA08; P.L. 110-432), which mandated positive train control (PTC) on many passenger and freight railroads by December 31, 2015. The law does not describe PTC in technical terms, but defines it as a risk mitigation system that could prevent train accidents by automatically stopping trains when a collision or derailment is imminent. While PTC promises benefits in terms of safety, its implementation entails substantial costs and presents a variety of other policy-related issues. These include the interoperability of individual railroads' systems, sufficient radio spectrum to support PTC, and the possibility that PTC could be a barrier to market entry. Freight and commuter railroads have raised concerns about their ability to meet the deadline imposed by Congress. In the 112th Congress, measures to relax the deadline were approved by the Senate and by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but were not included in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21; P.L. 112-141), the surface transportation bill signed by President Obama on July 6, 2012. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is required to submit a report to Congress about the status of PTC implementation and possible risk mitigation options by December 31, 2012. Bills: H.R. 7, S. 1813


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1	R42637.pdf	Jul 30, 2012	R42637	17	$29.95	Add to Cart

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Positive Train Control (PTC): Overview and Policy Issues  [Order No: R42637  Release Date: Jul 30,2012  Pages: 17]