Opposing view: Two years ago, the technology was not ready

As we await findings of the investigation into the tragic Amtrak accident in Washington state, Americans can be assured that train travel remains extremely safe. Yet we can be even safer. Important technology, called positive train control (PTC), will help by allowing trains to communicate with one another and the infrastructure to potentially avoid collisions and over-speed derailments.

So why, in 2015, did Congress act overwhelmingly and President Obama sign a law to extend the PTC implementation deadline?

It’s simple. The technology was not ready, and the impact of a rail system shutdown was too devastating. When PTC was mandated, there was no offthe-shelf solution. PTC was a complex, undeveloped communication technology, composed of more than 20 mostly first-generation components. It all needed to be installed on more than 68,000 miles of track by 40 private and public railroads that all communicate but operate independently.

By fall 2015, it was clear the initial December 2015 deadline could not be met by passenger, commuter and freight railways. Aside from technological complexity, the Government Accountability Office and the Federal Railroad Administration found many challenges necessitating an extension. System testing was not complete, safety plans hadn’t been approved by government, and the communication spectrum wasn’t available.

Maintaining the original deadline, without regard to reality, would have halted trains nationwide, crippling the economy while disturbing millions of daily commuters and disrupting food, energy and clean water supplies. One report concluded that just a one-month rail shutdown would have reduced the nation’s gross domestic product growth by 2.6%, placing 700,000 jobs at risk.

Instead, congressional Republicans and Democrats agreed to extend the deadline to December 2018. Meanwhile, billions continue to be invested to properly implement this technology under government oversight.

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., is chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.