Railroad shutdown imminent as safety deadline approaches, industry warns
KETV-Omaha / TRA  / September 10, 2015

 

OMAHA, Neb. —A looming deadline for implementation of new railroad safety standards could cause rail networks across the United States to come to a standstill, including Fort Worth based BNSF Railway and Omaha based Union Pacific.

That's the warning from the nation's largest rail companies in letters to Congress this week.

Under the 2008 Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA), rail companies are required to implement a safety feature called Positive Train Control (PTC) on certain high-volume lines coast-to-coast.

The deadline is January 1, 2016.

Numerous short line and regional railroads in Texas and the Southwest would also be affected including passenger carrier Amtrak and other commuter and regional passenger rail lines.

Read more: http://www.ketv.com/news/bnsf-union-pacific-say-meltdown-in-nations-rail-grid-is-looming/35199992