U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) applauded a recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that applications were being accepted for $73 million in grant funds for passenger railway capital projects and operations support across the nation.
“These funds are an important resource for bolstering the safety of our nation’s railways,” said Collins in a joint Feb. 20 statement issued along with U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI). Collins is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, while Reed serves as ranking member.
The senators have been particularly concerned about progress in the United States toward implementing Positive Train Control (PTC), an advanced system designed to automatically stop a train before certain accidents occur, including train-to-train collisions, derailments caused by excessive train speed and unauthorized train entry into work zones.
Dismayed by fatal passenger train accidents during the last few months – such as the Amtrak train derailment in late December 2017 near Tacoma, Wash., that killed three people and the Feb. 3 train collision in Columbia, S.C., that killed two others – Sens. Collins and Reed recently urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to hasten execution of PTC on freight and passenger railroads.
“With the PTC deadline approaching at the end of this year, it is imperative for the FRA to use resources provided by Congress to hire the necessary staff and contractors to provide guidance and certification of PTC implementation and for the department to make available grant funding for railroads to accomplish this technologically challenging safety upgrade,” according to their Feb. 8 letter sent to Chao.
U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, and subcommittee Ranking Member David Price (D-NC) also signed the letter to Chao.
According to the letter, some federal funding is already available to start PTC work. For instance, Congress approved $218 million for FRA Safety and Operations in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017, which was $5 million above what FRA requested, the lawmakers wrote. Additionally, Congress allocated $68 million in fiscal year 2017 for Consolidated Railroad Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grants, they noted in the letter.
“Expeditiously awarding funding for safety-critical infrastructure is necessary for commuter railroads who face major funding challenges implementing PTC,” the lawmakers wrote.
On Tuesday, Collins and Reed applauded the new round of $73 million in grants being made available for safety improvements to intercity passenger rails by the FRA for projects that it says may include PTC implementation, improved highway-rail grade crossings and congestion mitigation, among others.
“There is simply no time to waste when it comes to ensuring that railway accidents like the ones we’ve seen in recent months are prevented, that Positive Train Control is implemented, and that Americans can feel safe when traveling by train,” said Collins and Reed.
The FRA funding is available through new grant programs authorized by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act and funded through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017. The grants are expected to leverage private, state and local investments, according to FRA.
“We are proud to have joined our colleagues in the House in providing this funding last May and urging Secretary Chao to speed its release. We’re glad to see progress finally being made,” said Collins and Reed.