(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on September 29, 2010.)
California — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed Senate Bill 1371, which authorizes the California Transportation Commission to establish a Letter of No Prejudice program for Proposition 1A, the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century.
In the absence of a state budget, the legislation enables the Southern California Regional Rail Authority to move forward with a $200 million rail safety program that includes implementing Positive Train Control throughout the Metrolink system, which operates on tracks shared with the state-funded Pacific Surfliner service.
“Metrolink’s goal is to operate the safest passenger-rail system in the U.S. and implement PTC years before the federal mandate,” said Richard Katz, vice chairman of Metrolink’s board, in a prepared statement.