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WASHINGTON – New Jersey Transit is one of four suburban railways that may miss the end of year deadline to install an automatic speed control system, or benefit from a two-year extension .
The National Transportation Safety Board has stated that the absence of such a system had contributed to train accidents in Philadelphia and Hoboken.
The Federal Railroad Administration announced Wednesday that NJ Transit had installed only 79% of the equipment needed to operate the positive train control system by the end of October.
It was 66% at the end of September, at the end of the third quarter reference period.
NJ Transit has completed the necessary employee training and acquired the required spectrum, FRA said.
FRA considers that railways under 95% are at risk and Amtrak warned that it would not allow trains without positive train control systems to use its tunnels under Hudson River until Penn Station.
NJ Transit said that the installation of the system had forced the railway to cancel many trains.
Executive Director Kevin Corbett said that more progress has been made since the last FRA report. Until November 14, the railway company's work was 88% complete and "will continue to work tirelessly to achieve our end-of-year goals."
Corbett said that 54 locomotives and cab cars still did not have the required equipment. So far, 228 or 282 locomotives and cabs are equipped for positive train control, he said.
He added that the contractor, Parson Transportation Group, had added additional resources to complete the installation and that the employees of three facilities were working "to several teams to reach the end-of-year milestones" .
NJ Transit has fallen behind other railroads required by federal law to put in place positive train control by December 31 or to make enough progress to qualify for a two-year extension. Congress has already postponed the original deadline of December 31, 2015.
The Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) system has completed all required work, FRA said.
The National Transportation Safety Board has stated that the absence of automatic speed control system had contributed to the fatal crash of the Hoboken Terminal in September 2016 and the May 2015 train derailment of Amtrak in Philadelphia, which cost the lives of eight people.
Positive train control has been one of the most sought after safety council improvements in years.
Larry Higgs can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Jonathan D. Salant can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
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