Letter to Rafael Santana, President and CEO of Wabtec Corporation - Duckworth, Durbin, Lipinski Press WABTEC on Positive Train Control Implementation
Letter
Dear Mr. Santana,
We write to express our growing concerns regarding the implementation of positive train control (PTC) safety technologies in northeastern Illinois. We strongly encourage you to prioritize and expedite anticipated deliverables to the Northeast Illinois Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra) to ensure sufficient time to install and test components, train employees, and resolve any issues discovered during testing before the federal PTC implementation deadline of December 31, 2020.
For more than a decade, rail stakeholders have worked diligently to enhance the safety for millions of rail commuters nationwide, and Wabtec has been an important partner in those efforts. As the congressionally-mandated implementation deadline for rail operators draws closer, it is critical that every stakeholder in the PTC technology development and testing pipeline works diligently to overcome disruptions to implementation schedules. This is particularly important in northeastern Illinois, where six Class 1 freight railroads, Amtrak passenger rail, and Metra commuter rail interoperate in the nation's most complex rail system.
It is our understanding that Metra is working closely with Wabtec to implement key software components on two of its lines with anticipated delivery in April. Any delay in the delivery of these components could have a cascading effect on Metra's ability to fully implement PTC across its network prior to the federal deadline. If exacerbated, this situation could negatively affect hundreds of thousands of daily commuters across northeastern Illinois, significantly increase roadway congestion in the region and cause significant financial harm to Metra and area businesses.
Failure to meet the statutory deadline is simply unacceptable, and we urge you to do all that you can to ensure rail operators successfully complete this critical safety effort. We also request that your team update our offices regularly on Wabtec's progress with Metra.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact our offices to notify us of potential delays or with any questions and concerns.
Sincerely,
Source