Thune Office Suggests 'Stand-Alone' PTC Deadline Extension
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., pressed for extension of the Dec. 31 positive train control (PTC) implementation deadline, in a news release from the committee issued Thursday. “As a practical matter Congress needs to pass an extension by…
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the end of October to prevent freight and commuter rail disruption,” the news release said. “To do this, Congress may have to pass the PTC extension in the DRIVE Act as a stand-alone bill.” Congress this summer had approved the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act, which was part of a long-term transportation funding bill that the Senate but not the House passed. Thune initially had considered trying to attach the PTC extension to the short-term funding bill the Senate is trying to pass now. His effort to include the extension was unsuccessful. The news release mentioned the role of the FCC in helping with PTC implementation: "Some delays actually came from federal agencies. Railroads must install about 35,000 wayside interface units and 25,000 poles to transmit PTC signals, and in May 2013 the [FCC] halted construction of these structures for over a year until the agency could develop a process to review potential historic preservation and tribal impacts.” Committee staffers also posted many responses to Thune from railroads regarding their inability to meet the PTC deadline.