Freight and passenger railroads are closing in on their target of having collision-preventing automatic train control systems up and running on their routes by the congressionally mandated deadline of Dec. 31, the Federal Railroad Administration has reported.

In releasing the results of railroads’ third-quarter updates on Nov. 18, FRA also said one rail system, New Jersey Transit, is at risk of not having positive train control (PTC) systems fully operational on all main lines by year's end.