This means that PTC has been installed on about 80,450 route-km of the specified 93,220 route-km set by Congress in 2008 with a deadline for full implementation of December 31 2020.
Batory says the railways will continue to be held accountable for the timely implementation of PTC and there will be “no extensions this time.” A series of delays pushed the original deadline back to 12 years since Congress made PTC installation law.
Fines
Railways which fail to meet the 2020 deadline could face fines of up to $US 28,474 a day. However, senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said after the meeting on July 31: “I don’t know if we are going to vaporise people who do not comply.”
A total of 42 railways must have PTC fully operating by the deadline, 30 of which are commuter railways.
When completed, the railways will have invested almost $US 15bn on PTC, and up to $US 130m a year will be spent on maintenance and operation.
