Amtrak: NJ TRANSIT Could Be Banned Between Trenton And NYC
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Amtrak could prevent NJ TRANSIT trains from using its tracks between Trenton and New York if the transit agency doesn't finish installing positive train control.
Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson told a House subcommittee on Thursday Amtrak is worried passengers are being put at risk by delays in installing the technology that's designed to prevent crashes.
"It is going to be very difficult for us to allow anybody to operate on the railroad we host without PTC," Anderson said.
NJ TRANSIT is far behind on meeting the Dec. 31 federal government deadline to have PTC built and operational.
In a filing to federal regulators this week, NJ TRANSIT reported that through December, the braking system had only been installed in 35 of 440 locomotives and on none of 11 track segments.
New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said last month that measures were being taken to meet the deadline.
The question is whether Amtrak would actually follow through on the threat which would mean keeping NJT trains off Amtrak property in 2019, including the Hudson River tunnels and Penn Station, or if this is an attempt by Amtrak to scare up more funding for rail, WCBS 880's Mike Smeltz reported.
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system with more than 200 million passenger trips annually on its trains, buses and light rail.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
