This so-so story has bits of truth mixed with chunks of bull$#&%. This appears to be yet another gambit by various groups and interests, including those funding for those groups gambits coming from those who stand to lose from fracking (big coal?), so I tend t take all of these gambits with a grain of salt.

PTC will not cover many branch line or terminal operations. Safer cars, a longstanding issue, with hazmat transport is the main issue, and current proposals call for all cars carrying the purportedly (it does appear to have a much higher gasoline content when refined) more volatile crudes. This is a pretty fast turnover, including a need for about 30% more cars by then.

I support the roll out of PTC, which after intense vendor pressures, the FRA has actually made more difficult to do and costly implement. But, accidents happen in the best control regimes, due to factors beyond those of human error or command and control failures, so the safer cars are the right way to go. Proper crewing and crew rest, and actual serious enforcement of Federal rules could go a long way to improving safety, as well.

Today, big money talks (and our Congress panders to that money), and unfortunately, better crew rest, and proper levels of enforcement, which could make a difference, will not likely occur.