McCaskill: ‘Unacceptable’ to Allow Fed. Mandate to Disrupt Passenger Rail Service in Mo.

WASHINGTON – Addressing concerns raised in testimony by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill on Wednesday used a Senate hearing to highlight issues affecting freight and passenger rail service in the state.

MoDOT’s Multimodal Operations Director, Michelle Teel, testified before the Senate panel raising concerns about a dispute over new safety technology known as positive train control (PTC) that is required by federal law to be in place on all Class I railroads and other railroads carrying passengers by December 31, 2015. Amtrak recently notified the Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCT) of its intention to discontinue passenger service into and out of Kansas City starting next year if the matter is not resolved. Last year more than 737,000 people traveled on Amtrak in Missouri.

“We have tens upon thousands of people that rely on the train in Missouri and it is unacceptable that we would interrupt passenger service over [the positive train control] issue,” McCaskill said. “I would like there to be a more realistic target for the [positive train control] deadline which gives us time to try to work this out among the various players. I hope we can get quick action on the PTC delay bill in order to give some more certainty to the environment in Missouri so we can make sure that we have and continue to have passenger rail service.”

McCaskill, along with fellow Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, is a lead sponsor of legislation to extend the deadline for implementing PTC by five years to December 31, 2020. The legislation will soon be reintroduced.

McCaskill also reiterated her long-standing support for the Keystone XL pipeline, citing safety concerns with an increased movement of crude oil by rail.

McCaskill has raised the issue in previous hearings, noting concerns she has heard from first responders in Kansas City and St. Louis – the second and third busiest freight rail hubs in the country – about a lack of information being shared with them regarding crude shipments moving by rail through the state.