AMTRAK CEO: Train safety takes money, cooperation

• National infrastructure forms the bedrock foundation upon which our economic future is built.
• We need Positive Train Control technology on our nation%27s railroads.
• It is our duty to stop the negativity%2C find common cause and move forward together.

We talk a lot about our national debt. But the largest debt we owe is to those who will come after us in this nation. Our fulfillment of that debt should underpin the actions we take right now.

Our national infrastructure forms the bedrock foundation upon which our economic future is built as America competes in the global marketplace. Railroads — both passenger and freight — are essential elements in the national transportation network that will help deliver future economic growth to communities across the country.

But for the rail network to function at its best, the rail industry must further improve safety.

As a former New York State Transportation Commissioner, a past Federal Railroad Administrator and current Amtrak President and CEO, I can state unequivocally that we need Positive Train Control technology on our nation's railroads. PTC is the most important rail safety advancement of our time.

PTC technology can control train movements to prevent train-to-train collisions, derailments caused by excessive speed and certain human-caused incidents such as misaligned track switches. It also can protect rail workers along the tracks by slowing or stopping trains from entering work zones.

Yes, PTC could have prevented the recent commuter train tragedy in New York that claimed four lives and altered the lives of many more. Yes, it could have prevented the crash in Chatsworth, Calif., in 2008 that claimed 26 lives, cost hundreds of millions of dollars and led to the passage of new federal rail safety legislation. One key provision of the law: Congress mandated PTC be implemented by the end of 2015.

Amtrak already has PTC technology in operation on 530 track-miles along Amtrak-owned sections of the Northeast Corridor and on our Michigan Line. Amtrak began an aggressive program in 2010 to install PTC on an additional 1,200 track-miles of our railroad.

We're on target to meet the 2015 deadline to install PTC components along our trackside and in our locomotives, but before we can turn it on and realize the safety benefits in the new areas we must obtain the necessary radio spectrum to transmit data that is critical to make the system operational.

Many Amtrak and commuter trains also operate on track owned by other railroads whose primary business is moving freight, including toxic inhalation hazard shipments. The nation's railroads are working together to ensure there is interoperability of PTC systems so that safety is maintained as trains travel from one railroad to another. However, without additional resources and an increased level of commitment, the federal deadline may not be met.

If we as a society decide that we want to, we can begin to pay the debt we owe to the future by facing the challenges of implementing PTC. Congress, the Federal Railroad Administration, the rail industry and all other players involved need to re-double their commitment, provide funding, act with determination and eliminate roadblocks to achieve PTC implementation as soon as possible.

The upcoming debate on a new federal Surface Transportation bill is the perfect vehicle to demonstrate our nation's commitment to PTC not only as a vital safety measure, but also because PTC can support additional communication, train management and operational efficiency improvements that the passenger and freight railroads are only now beginning to envision.

Those who follow us must build their lives and raise their family on the foundation that we have left for them and that includes all parts of the National Infrastructure.

We need a new air traffic control system and a serious program to rebuild and repair our bridges and highways. We need funding for our local and regional transit systems and more capital investment to improve and expand the national network of intercity passenger rail. We need the same thing for our waterways, our electric grid, our water and sewage systems, and our communication systems.

There is a daily flow of discouraging and critical comments about nearly everything in America today. We have become expert in tearing down our institutions and our expectations for anything positive about our future. It is our duty to stop the negativity, find common cause and move forward together to build a future of which we can be proud to have others follow in our tracks.

Joe Boardman is the CEO of Amtrak.

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