Amtrak Statement Counters Trains' PTC Article

In response to Rail Passengers Association's release calling for clarity on reporting by Trains' Bob Johnston that alleged Amtrak would discontinue service on eight PTC-exempt routes, Amtrak issued a statement denying the validity of these claims:

The Trains.com story is inaccurate. Mr. Gardner did not say what the magazine purports to report – without a direct quote. The posted story was not based on first-hand knowledge of what was said at the meeting. Amtrak was not given an opportunity to confirm or deny the second-hand information prior to posting – and certainly would have denied the report as we are doing now.

Our position on Positive Train Control (PTC) is unchanged from Congressional testimony posted on Amtrak.com and video from that same hearing earlier this year.

To put it briefly: Where PTC is not implemented and operational, it is expected that nearly all carriers will qualify for an alternative PTC implementation schedule under law.

For those carriers and routes operating under an extension or under an FRA-approved exemption, Amtrak is performing risk analyses and developing strategies for enhancing safety on a route-by-route basis to ensure that there is a single level of safety across the Amtrak network.

For those very limited routes where a host may not achieve an alternative schedule by year’s end, Amtrak will suspend service and may seek alternative modes of service until such routes come into compliance.

We look forward to providing updates on the route analyses as they become available to the public.