Siemens, Bombardier and other firms saw the opportunity nationwide after the U.S. Congress' Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008. The act mandates widespread installation of PTC systems by Dec. 2015 for intercity passenger rail and commuter rail.

Spurred by rail disasters like the one that killed 79 people in Spain this summer, transit agencies in the U.S. and around the world are trying to comply. Los Angeles commuter-rail operator Metrolink, which dealt with a derailment caused by a texting engineer in 2008 that killed 25, ">embarked on a $210.9-million project  to implement PTC, which involves a network of software, signal network updates and communications towers and must interoperate with similar systems overlaid onto freight railroad networks.

The complexities have pushed planned completion in early 2013 back to summer 2014.

Metro-North’s Anders says the MTA applied for a postponement in complying with the PTC deadline to 2018—a postponement generally supported by the American Public Transportation Association.

In a statement released late Dec. 3, the MTA said it began work on PTC in 2009. "The MTA has budgeted nearly $600 million for elements of PTC installation," the statement said. "Full implementation is estimated to cost $900 million." The statement emphasizes that the Federal Railroad Administration and Government Accountability Office have both acknowledged the difficulty of meeting the 2015 deadline.

“When PTC is implemented, it will help prevent these types of accidents,” notes Mysore Nagaraja, chairman of Spartan Solutions and former New York City Transit chief engineer. Until then, it depends on the humans.”

It depends not just on the humans operating the trains, but on the policymakers.

“Our members are 100% committed to PTC,” says Joni Carlton, APTA senior legislative representative. A recent APTA survey found that 19 agencies have spent $458 million on implementation plans, but noted that legislation of $250 million for the effort expired in September. APTA estimates the total investment need for PTC implementation is $2.75 billion. Only $55 million has been allocated.

Moreover, the advocacy group has pleaded with Congress to urge the FCC to set aside radio frequencies needed for operations, so far to no avail, adds Carlton.