The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has taken actions to regularly communicate information to railroads following an investigation last year into communication, resources and workload efforts surrounding a new system enactment.
The investigation stems from current requirements on railroads to implement a communications-based system to slow or stop unsafe trains known as positive train control (PTC). Implementation was supposed to be made by the end of last year, but certain railroads were allowed to extend the deadline by at most two years. GAO confirmed that railroads are making progress on this, but have faced vendor and software issues, among others, impeding their efforts and guaranteeing that significant work remains.
The FRA, which provides assistance and support to railroads during the transition and testing process, has faced its own troubles recently. Its workload is substantial, between oversight and review, and GAO found that despite supporting interoperability and testing, the agency has failed to show how they are monitoring risk and prioritizing resources. As such, GAO recommends a risk-based approach for the allocation of resources to oversee PTC.
In all, 42 railroads are currently required to implement PTC. GAO intends to continue monitoring the FRA as it allocates resources to oversee the PTC implementation.