FCC Approves Positive Train Control Orders

The FCC approved two orders designed to speed the deployment of positive train control technology in the Northeast. It clears the way for three of the country’s busiest commuter railroads -- the Long Island Railroad, Metro-North Railroad and New Jersey Transit -- to deploy PTC. The orders allow Amtrak using PTC “on a critical segment of the Northeast Corridor -- from New Rochelle, New York to New Haven, Connecticut -- where it is a tenant on Metro-North track,” the FCC said Tuesday. “The Commission has recognized that ‘PTC is a potentially transformative technology’ that can 'save lives, prevent injuries, and avoid extensive property damage,'” the FCC said. “We seek to facilitate implementation of this important safety measure, and today we continue our efforts ‘to develop policies to facilitate the rail industry’s acquisition and use of spectrum for PTC in the public interest.’” Congress last year approved a law extending the deadline for building out PTC nationwide from the end of 2015 until the end of 2018 (see 1510290069). Investigators said in May that the lack of PTC was partly responsible for a deadly Amtrak crash in Philadelphia (see 1505150047).