Steve Burns
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) MARC and VRE riders may need to start planning new ways to get into the city by the new year unless Congress extends a critical deadline.
Railroads across the country were mandated in 2008 to install Positive Train Control, a safety system that monitors train positions and speeds, by January 1, 2016, and must cease operations if the installation is not complete. However, most railroad systems are not able to meet the deadline and railroads across the country, including MARC and VRE, will be forced to shut down barring an extension of the deadline from Congress.
“It’s very concerning,” said VRE spokesman Brian Jungwirth. “We’re hoping that they’re going to move quickly in Congress to extend the deadline on PTC.”
Jungwirth says VRE has completed everything they can do, including installing the new equipment in their cabs and train cars. But the owners of the tracks they run on, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, and CSX, have yet to install the complex components on their tracks and signaling systems.
“At this point, it’s likely that we would be forced to cease operations after January 1,” Jungwirth said. “We need Congress to act quickly because we need to start moving with our plans to let our riders know and our contractors, and people that work with VRE what this may mean for them.”
There is a bill in Congress to extend the deadline, but the Senate is attaching the legislation to other, more controversial transportation funding measures.
“Putting another 10,000 cars out onto Interstate 66 and the 95 corridor is not a good thing for our region,” Jungwirth said. “Forcing a national railroad shutdown for commuter rail has a serious effect on the economy of the United States.”
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