THE ASSEMBLY STATE OF NEW YORK ALBANY CHAIR Subcommittee on Election Day Operations and Voter Disenfranchisement COMMITTEES Consumer Affairs and Protection Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Election Law Governmental Operations Judiciary Local Governments DAVID BUCHWALD rd Assemblyman 93 District Catherine A. Rinaldi President Metro North Railroad 420 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10017-3739 October 1, 2018 Dear President Rinaldi: On July 25, you indicated in a letter to the Editor of The Journal News that Metro-North Railroad would submit an alternate schedule for completion of Positive Train Control (PTC), which would enable the Railroad to extend the implementation of PTC for a period of up to two years. I write to request a copy of that submission to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), as soon as it is made, assuming, as appears to be the case, that is has not yet been submitted. The slow roll out of PTC is troubling given the painful safety lessons learned in the wake of a series of derailments that claimed the lives of riders and left scores injured. Originally established as a requirement in 2008 by the federal government for the end of 2015, PTC’s implementation deadline was later moved by Congress to the end of 2018. Now, the Federal Railroad Administration is providing another two years to qualifying railroads, taking completion to as late as December 31, 2020. I am particularly dismayed to read in the MTA’s Metro-North Railroad Committee materials from September 24 that the Railroad’s alterative schedule request, previously scheduled as recently as the July 23, 2018 committee meeting, to be sent to the FRA between July and October 2018, has now been delayed until December 2018. That of course is in contrast to your letter to the Editor, which asserted that Metro-North “expect[ed] to file the paperwork in the fall.” Furthermore, Metro-North customers deserve to know whether the Railroad is expecting to need a full two year extension, until December 31, 2020, to get PTC fully operational. Can you please advise whether taking the full two years will be Metro-North’s new deadline or whether you have set an earlier goal? As for Metro-North’s West of Hudson service and the implementation of PTC, I likewise request a copy of any past or forthcoming alternate schedule submission to the Federal Railroad Administration, if it is different that the East of Hudson submission. Sincerely yours, David Buchwald Member of the New York State Assembly 93rd District DISTRICT OFFICE: 100 South Bedford Road, Suite 150, Mount Kisco, New York 10549 • 914-244-4450, FAX: 914-244-4453 ALBANY OFFICE: Room 331, Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York 12248 • 518-455-5397, FAX: 518-455-5041 EMAIL: BuchwaldD@nyassembly.gov