Janice Hahn: “Americans are still shaken by this week's Amtrak derailment that took the lives of seven people and left more than 200…”

“Americans are still shaken by this week's Amtrak derailment that took the lives of seven people and left more than 200 injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have suffered a loss. The NTSB said that this tragedy could have been prevented if the corridor had been outfitted with positive train control technology, PTC. All of us in southern California have known the importance of PTC since the horrible train accident in Chatsworth in 2008 that killed 25 people. Congress mandated that year that PTC be installed on all our Nation's rail lines. Across the country, rail lines are in the process of installing this lifesaving technology, but many are behind schedule. There was no PTC in place where this recent crash occurred. Yesterday, former Republican Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, ``The idea that Amtrak doesn't need more money to implement positive train control . . . is nonsense.'' And yet yesterday, Republicans in the House Appropriations Committee voted to cut the Amtrak budget by $252 million. This Congress' policy of starving our infrastructure system is endangering Americans. Enough is enough. ____________________”