Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has released proposed changes to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) regulations governing the installation of positive train control (PTC) systems. The amendments will provide greater flexibility to railroads and FRA in assessing the need for PTC without adversely affecting the safety of America’s rail lines.
      However, these amendments would not affect existing requirements to install PTC on lines used to provide intercity and passenger rail service. They will only affect the installation of PTC for freight railroads while carrying hazardous materials.
      The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 requires certain passenger and freight railroads to install PTC systems on lines meeting certain thresholds. Nationwide deployment of PTC is expected to eventually yield substantial benefits from the use of advanced train control technology for safety and business purposes.
      The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) appeared in the Federal Register on Aug. 24, 2011, and FRA will accept comments until Oct. 24. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent possible without incurring additional expenses or delays. The text of the notice is available here.