Letter to Joseph Giulietti, President of Metro-North Rail - Installation Update from Metro-North

Letter

Dear Mr. Giulietti:

Last week, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a study revealing that most of our country's railroads will fail to meet the December 31, 2015 deadline for implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) technology. These widespread, indefinite delays are deeply disturbing. PTC is a critical life-saving technology that could have prevented the deaths of hundreds -- including the four who tragically died in the Bronx in December 2013 -- since the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) first recommended its installation over 45 years ago.

The report notes that Metro-North will not begin testing the system on the railroad until 2016, at the earliest, and appears to confirm that the earliest likely date for installation is 2018. In fact, there is no firm deadline for Metro-North to complete this essential, life-saving program. The FRA report notes that some other railroads intend to meet the current deadline, but Metro-North's completion date remains indefinite and distant, in effect tentative and open-ended. Riders and consumers deserve to know a date certain for PTC implementation. The public needs full assurance of a deadline for Metro-North fulfilling its obligation to protect the lives of passengers and workers on their behalf. Please provide a date certain for the implementation of PTC.

I appreciate your response to this matter.

Source