Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I wish to speak about the unfortunate extension of the deadline for the implementation of positive train control, or PTC. As one of the authors of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008-- which established the PTC mandate--I stand here committed to ensuring that PTC is installed on all our Nation's railways as soon as possible. Current law states railroads must fully install PTC by the end of this year. For a variety of reasons, we all know this is not feasible for all railroads. But we can't let this drag on indefinitely. It's a matter of public safety. We must get this done. The focus of the current debate has been on why an extension of the mandate is necessary, but I would like to take a step back and remind my colleagues why the mandate itself is necessary. On September 12, 2008, the inattentive conductor of a Metrolink train--a commuter railroad in the Los Angeles area--missed a red light and entered a stretch of single track going the wrong way. The train collided with a Union Pacific freight train, which completely demolished the first commuter car. The accident killed 25 and injured more than 100. This was an absolute tragedy for my State and the country. What is even more tragic: It was 100 percent preventable. Had PTC been installed, we would have avoided this tragedy. The National Transportation Safety Board has been recommending the installation of PTC since an accident in Connecticut in 1969. This technology is lifesaving.…”