A fatal New York train derailment on Dec. 1 on a Metro-North Railroad commuter train, which appears to be the result of a lapse in the solo engineer's consciousness, has politicians demanding comprehensive, industry-wide implementation of positive train controls (PTC)—a step advocated by the National Transportation Safety Board for decades and one the rail industry already has been struggling to achieve.
In a Dec. 4 statement, American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President Michael Melaniphy said that, "as of June 2013, [U.S. commuter systems] have spent at least $458 million installing PTC. It is estimated that the cost of full implementation of PTC will be at least $2.75 billion. To date, Congress hasappropriated $50 million for PTC."