NEW YORK — Concerned by delays in the installation of positive train control on New York MTA’s two commuter railroads, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer has called for the Federal Railroad Administration to step in and oversee PTC installation on the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road.
“To know that the $1 billion dollar project I helped fund, to fully install life-saving PTC on our tracks, has been set back because of a surprise equipment failure is a real stun of a glitch,” Schumer said in a press release issued Sunday. “This is a serious project aimed at saving lives, and we cannot afford, even the smallest risk, that it will again be delayed. That is why, on the heels of this equipment failure, I am asking the feds to begin a top-to-bottom review of the MTA and the LIRR’s PTC install effort, specifically.
“The FRA should be tasked with taking a hard look at the quality controls and communication methods that are in place to ensure money is not wasted and the installation not botched again.”
MTA officials last week reported that more than 4,000 faulty antennas that are part of the PTC system would need to be replaced.
The full Schumer release is available here.
