Political Quotes

“This is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended. My amendment provides $750 million to passenger railroads to help them implement positive train control. Tragically, last week, Amtrak 188 derailed, killing 8 people and injuring more than 200. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones. Unfortunately, last week's tragic accident is just the latest in a series of incidents that are unacceptable and largely preventable. According to National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt, the lead investigator of last week's Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia: ``Had PTC''--positive train control--``been installed on the section of track, this accident would not have occurred.'' Now, what is positive train control? Positive train control, commonly referred to as PTC, is a communications and signaling system that uses GPS technology and sensors to communicate train location, speed, restrictions, and moving authority. Most importantly, PTC can save lives. For instance, positive train control technology can detect if a train is going too fast for an area and use onboard equipment to automatically slow or stop the train. Now, Mr. Speaker, last week's derailment is not the first time NTSB has recommended implementing positive train control.…”