Audit launched to explore how federal PTC funds are being used

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amid concerns that some rail systems are not moving fast enough to meet the upcoming federal deadline, the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General announced it is conducting a new audit to explore how railroads are using federal funds to install Positive Train Control (PTC), The Hill reports.

Railroads have slowly been making progress in installing PTC, but the latest data from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) shows some are still lagging, with the technology operational along 27% of freight-rail route miles and 23% of passenger-rail route miles, as of the first three months of this year.

The initial phase of the audit, which was requested by Sen. John Thune (R-SD), chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, will identify railroads that received DOT funding or financing to support PTC projects and describe those PTC projects, while the second phase will assess FRA’s and FTA’s oversight of PTC funding allocations and determine whether recipients have used awarded funds “completely and efficiently,” according to the Office of Inspector General’s announcement. For the full story, click here.