Sen. Gerald Cardinale plans on introducing a resolution urging Congress to expedite the process of implementing Positive Train Control on New Jersey Transit. (SenateNJ.com)
“Having this safety technology in place could give us the ability to prevent disasters and save lives,” Senator Cardinale said. “Last week’s crash in Hoboken showed us all just how destructive trains can be when safeguards aren’t present.”Positive Train Control (PTC) is a safety system designed to automatically stop a train. It has the ability to prevent accidents like collisions and derailments by slowing the train without input from an engineer on board.
A 2008 federal law required agencies, like NJ Transit, to have PTC installed by the end of 2015. That deadline was extended an additional three years to Dec. 31, 2018. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, only 29-perecent of the nation’s passenger locomotives were equipped with PTC as of June 30, 2016.
“We will never know for sure if PTC would have prevented last week’s crash,” Senator Cardinale said. “But this technology has the potential to be life-saving. Providing the safest ride possible for our commuters should be our number-one priority.”
No comments:
Post a Comment