WASHINGTON – The White House on Thursday, June 4, endorsed a requirement that U.S. railroads install new safety equipment by the end of 2015, despite bipartisan efforts in Congress to give passenger and freight rail companies extra time to comply.
Administration support for the deadline could lead to a showdown with lawmakers in Congress over the safety equipment known as positive train control, or PTC, which federal officials say would have prevented the deadly May 12 Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia that killed eight people and injured more than 200.
Republicans and Democrats have introduced different pieces of legislation to extend the deadline. A measure giving railroads until the end of 2020 to comply with the safety requirement was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee in March and moved to the Senate floor for a vote.
Read more at Business Insider.
Related News
- Local #823 member killed in on-duty collision
- The Safety Of Our BNSF Brothers And Sisters Is Not For Sale!
- Tragic Collision in Pecos, Texas Claims Two Lives
- SMART-TD union announces the passage of the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness Act (REEF)
- SMART-TD condemns Union Pacific’s lease to Central Oregon Pacific Railroad
- Sharp-eyed conductor saves two lives in winter crossing accident
- Union Takes Bold Step To Force Congress To Act On Rail Safety
- Railroad and Transit Union officers continue streak as top grassroots lobbyists
- SMART-TD AND CSX CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF SUCCESS
- Full slate of SMART-TD endorsements released