WASHINGTON (Aug. 19, 2019) — National Transportation Safety Board Member Jennifer Homendy will join Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal and rail safety advocates at a press conference scheduled for Tuesday, calling for the full implementation of Positive Train Control.
The event coincides with the 50th anniversary of a train collision in Darien, Connecticut, that killed four people and injured 43 others. Following its investigation of the Darien accident, the NTSB issued its first recommendation related to PTC, a safety system designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, overspeed derailments, switches left in the wrong position, and incursions into established work zone limits.
In 2008 Congress mandated the installation of PTC. The initial deadline for PTC was December 2015. That deadline was extended to 2018. With additional conditions met, some railroads have been allowed until 2020 to fully implement PTC. The NTSB has asked that no further extensions be granted, which is why fully implementing PTC is on the NTSB 2019-2020 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements.
Following the press briefing, Member Homendy will be available for one-on-one interviews.
WHO: Member Jennifer Homendy, Senator Richard Blumenthal and rail safety advocates
WHAT: Media briefing on Positive Train Control
WHEN: Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019, at 11 a.m.
WHERE: Union Station, 50 Union Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
