Washington—Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer (both D-Calif.) today released the following statements in opposition to a bill approved by the Senate Commerce Committee that would provide a blanket extension for the implementation of Positive Train Control, or PTC:

“Providing rail companies with a blanket extension of the deadline to implement Positive Train Control would be a disastrous policy. It would punish companies working to comply with the deadline and reward those that have dragged their feet,” Feinstein said. “It has been 45 years since the National Transportation Safety Board first recommended PTC. And it has been almost seven years since the Chatsworth collision claimed 25 lives, an accident that could have been prevented by PTC. Further unnecessary delay is simply unacceptable. I welcome the willingness of Senators Thune and Nelson to improve this bill and will work with them to establish a responsible PTC policy.”

“Positive Train Control technology saves lives and delaying this deadline for another five years will put people at risk,” Boxer said. “Many rail service providers, such as Metrolink, are on track to meet the deadline, and we should work together to help other rail carriers implement this technology quickly to help prevent deadly accidents.”

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