NEWARK, N.J. – Today, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), who chairs the Senate Subcommittee overseeing railroads, issued the following statement after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) removed Positive Train Control (PTC) from its list of “Most Wanted” safety improvements:

    “The Board’s action today recognizes the importance of our new safety law, which requires fundamental changes in the rail industry to protect passengers and workers.  We have mandated state-of-the-art technology to help prevent collisions, but the rail industry and federal regulators have much work to do to put this new technology into practice.  As Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee overseeing railroads, I will do my part to make sure our law is followed.”

    The recommendation for PTC had been on the NTSB’s Most Wanted list since 1991.

    On October 16, Sen. Lautenberg’s Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was signed into law as part of a landmark package of railroad legislation.  The Act’s safety requirements include:

• A mandate for positive train control (PTC) technology on passenger and certain hazmat rail main lines by 2015 and authorization for $250 million in Federal grants for PTC installation;

• Guarantees of a 12-hour work period and minimum 10-hour disruption-free rest period for train crews and signal employees;

• Limits on the amount of time a rail worker may be in “limbo time;”

• Requirement for a Federal study and regulation on use of cell phones and other device distractions in locomotive cabs;

• Requirement for risk-based safety programs for all major railroads to prevent deaths and injuries; and

• Creation of a National Transportation Safety Board office to assist families of passengers following rail disasters.

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