WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress must act soon to extend a Dec. 31 rail safety deadline or risk major disruptions to the U.S. economy, the Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee said on Thursday.
"We cannot wait until the last minute to act. I believe, absent congressional action, we will begin to see the effects of the deadline four to six weeks prior to the Dec. 31 deadline, as railroads begin to cycle traffic off their lines," Senator John Thune of South Dakota said at a hearing.
Thune was talking about a congressionally mandated deadline for freight and passenger railroads to implement a new safety technology known as positive train control, or PTC, by the end of 2015. Most railroads are not expected to meet the deadline, and major freight handlers have said they may suspend service without an extension rather than operate outside federal law.