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Over objections, US regulator to 'aggressively enforce' costly rail safety
US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) chief Sarah Feinberg said she will "aggressively enforce" a deadline for freight and passenger railways to adopt new safety technology to avoid derailments, Reuters reports.
Railways lobbied for congressional action to delay the implementation of "positive train control" (PTC) for three years.
In a November 19 letter to railways, the FRA warned that rail operators could face a daily fines of US$5,000 for failing to submit a PTC implementation plan by January 27.
"FRA intends to aggressively enforce the deadlines and requirements," said Ms Feinberg.
PTC requires complex safety and communications technology that can slow or stop a train under circumstances that could pose a safety risk.
Railways are required to submit plans that detail their intended schedules to implement the technology and demonstrate how they will meet milestones.
The regulator then has 90 days to approve or disapprove each plan. Plans that fail would have a 30 days to file a revised plan.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which has been calling on railways to adopt the new technology since the late 1960s, says it would have prevented the Amtrak derailment that killed eight people and injured 200 last May in Philadelphia.
Congress set the previous 2015 deadline for PTC implementation in 2008.
Railways lobbied for congressional action to delay the implementation of "positive train control" (PTC) for three years.
In a November 19 letter to railways, the FRA warned that rail operators could face a daily fines of US$5,000 for failing to submit a PTC implementation plan by January 27.
"FRA intends to aggressively enforce the deadlines and requirements," said Ms Feinberg.
PTC requires complex safety and communications technology that can slow or stop a train under circumstances that could pose a safety risk.
Railways are required to submit plans that detail their intended schedules to implement the technology and demonstrate how they will meet milestones.
The regulator then has 90 days to approve or disapprove each plan. Plans that fail would have a 30 days to file a revised plan.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which has been calling on railways to adopt the new technology since the late 1960s, says it would have prevented the Amtrak derailment that killed eight people and injured 200 last May in Philadelphia.
Congress set the previous 2015 deadline for PTC implementation in 2008.
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