Positive Train Control (PTC) is now in operation on all 57,536 required freight and passenger railroad route-miles, ahead of the federal deadline of Dec. 31, the Federal Railroad Administration reported Dec. 29.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise regulations on changes to Positive Train Control (PTC) systems and reporting PTC system functioning.
Congress passed the $2.3 trillion “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021” (H.R. 133), an omnibus spending bill that includes a $900 billion COVID-19 emergency relief package as well as government appropriations for fiscal year 2021, tax extenders and other provisions. While many in the rail industry expressed appreciation—stressing that additional transit aid, for instance, will be needed—outgoing President Donald Trump did not. He refused to approve the bill—calling for higher direct relief checks to Americans and other changes—but he finally signed it into law late Dec. 27, averting a government shutdown Dec. 29.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has released a final rule requiring 40 states and the District of Columbia to implement highway/rail grade crossing action plans. The remaining ten states already have plans, as required by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA), and must now update those plans.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued two final rules: one updating brake safety standards,the other revising the existing rail equipment accident/incident reporting regulation.
Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to authorize the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) blocked grade crossing reporter website as a three-year pilot project.
“Examining the Surface Transportation Board’s Role in Ensuring a Robust Passenger Rail System” was the topic of a virtual Nov. 18 hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
The “magic number” is 100%, and as of the end of third-quarter 2020 (Sept. 30), the railroad industry had reached 99.6% of fully implementing Positive Train Control (PTC) systems by the Dec. 31, 2020 federal deadline, according to the Federal Railroad Administration’s quarterly status update on railroads’ self-reported progress.
After nearly 10 years of a contentious battle involving Amtrak and its host freight railroads that twice reached the U.S. Supreme Court, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has published a final rule establishing metrics and minimum standards for measuring the performance and service quality of Amtrak’s intercity passenger trains.
RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2020 ISSUE: CN’s Autonomous Track Inspection Program (ATIP) uses railcars equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence that automatically scan and analyze tracks while operating in revenue-service freight trains.