More delays expected for Amtrak's train safety fix on LIRR tracks

A delayed fix from Amtrak to a problem preventing mandated safety technology against train crashes from working with the Long Island Rail Road has been pushed back another two months, the president of the LIRR said Monday.

Amtrak disclosed earlier this month that it did not expect to have in place the technology known as "positive train control," or PTC, for trains that use LIRR tracks until May 2021 — missing the December federal deadline.

But LIRR president Phillip Eng said that Amtrak since has “modified that to July 2021.”

“We are going to be meeting with them to try to accelerate that date,” said Eng, adding that the compatibility issue is isolated to Amtrak trains operating through the LIRR’s Harold Interlocking in Long Island City, Queens. “Our trains will not be affected. Our customers will not be affected.”

The PTC technology, mandated by Congress after a 2008 rail accident in California, prevents rail collisions by automatically slowing down or halting trains that violate stop signals.

Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds said although the needed software is expected to be delivered by May, it will require about 60 days of testing before it is ready for regular use.

Eng discussed the matter at a Manhattan meeting of the railroad committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, LIRR's parent agency. He assured the committee that, despite the complications, “the railroad is on schedule” to meet the deadline for installing its PTC system.

In correspondence earlier this month between the respective heads of the MTA and Amtrak, news surfaced that a piece of software Amtrak needs to make its trains compatible with the LIRR’s PTC system — as required by federal law — would not be ready until five months after the federal deadline. That delay now has grown to seven months.

However, if Amtrak operates trains through the LIRR’s territory without PTC functionality after December, both agencies could be considered in violation of federal law and face steep fines. 

Amtrak had said last week that it began working on a resolution to the problem as soon as it got the necessary clearance from the LIRR late last year to do so. 

Gary Prophet, president of the Empire State Passengers Association, a statewide rail rider advocacy group, said that while he'd like to see the problem resolved as soon as possible, he is not concerned about the safety of Amtrak's rail system.

“We would certainly hope that everything is done in order to get it done by the end of the year, but we also understand that this is not a replacement of an existing safety system. It’s an extra layer of safety on top of the current switching and signal safety systems that exist across the country,” said Prophet, of Ossining. “It’s not like everything is going to be less safe than it’s been.”

Amtrak has proposed a temporary solution that would allow both railroads to comply with the deadline. An Amtrak spokeswoman said Friday that the mitigation plan would “involve both, changes to the wayside design as well as changes in operating procedures in the event LIRR has a signal system failure at Harold.”

MTA chairman Patrick Foye has balked at the workaround, which he said “poses safety concerns and would negatively impact a significant number of LIRR customers.” Eng agreed that Amtrak officials will have to reconsider their proposed quick fix.

“Amtrak needs to develop their software or a solution that affects their trains and doesn’t affect ours,” Eng said.

Eng said the LIRR has in recent weeks reached several major milestones in its completion of the $1 billion effort, including achieving interoperability between PTC technology in its trains inside the East River Tunnels, owned by Amtrak.

Eng said PTC is up and running in more than 30% of the LIRR system, with “many more segments” to be added in the coming months.

Also Monday, the MTA's finance committee approved a plan to provide new discounts for customers riding the LIRR within New York City. The program was ordered by the State Legislature as a condition of its approval of a congestion pricing plan that will fund the MTA's $51.5 billion capital program.

Described as a pilot program that would last six to 12 months, the "NYC Outer Borough Rail Discount" plan would reduce the cost of an unlimited-ride LIRR pass by 20% for customers within city limits, and by 10% for most other ticket types. LIRR officials said they expect the program could cost them $16 million a year in lost revenue and contribute to overcrowding.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.