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HOW MUCH IS PTC GOING TO COST ? (SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET)
HOW MUCH IS PTC GOING TO COST ? (SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET)
HOW MUCH IS PTC GOING TO COST ? (SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET)
HOW MUCH IS PTC GOING TO COST ? (SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET)
HOW MUCH IS PTC GOING TO COST ? (SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET)
HOW MUCH IS PTC GOING TO COST ? (SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET)
During the November 11, 2010 public meeting with the SMART Board and Staff, I brought up the issue that Positive Train Control, a safety technology that will be required for the SMART operation, hasn’t been included in any of their financial reports and that I would like to know what this cost will be.
Positive Train Control (PTC) controls train movements by sensing potential hazards and then automatically regulating train speed or even causing a complete stop. Mandatory PTC was instigated by the 2008 crash between an L.A. Metro train and a freight train (25 people died), became law in October 2008, and is to be 100% functional on all rail lines that are shared by both passenger and freight trains by the end of 2015. SMART’s Financial Plan, (that was made public for the November 2008 election, which successfully gave SMART their main source of funding), was written in July 2008 and PTC became a requirement in October 2008.
However, no one from SMART told the public before the November 2008 election that their costs suddenly increased dramatically. Caltrain estimates that PTC will cost them $231M for their 77-mile trackway. My research shows that SMART’s cost for PTC will be around $150M.
The information packet that was handed out at the November 7, 2010 meeting did mention that the cost of PTC was expected to be $20M - $50M higher that expected, but SMART has never told the public what the base cost of PTC was before the expected increases.
Since I brought up the question of the total cost of PTC during the morning session, I waited, waited, and waited for someone from SMART to answer my question. Finally, right before Chairperson Debra Fudge was going to call for a vote by the other Directors, I got up and called out to the SMART contingency, “how much is PTC going to cost”? Ms. Fudge furiously called me “out of order”, and ordered me to be quiet. For the next minute or so, the meeting room rang out with me repeating the question, “how much is PTC going to cost”? and Fudge’s repeated order for me to be quiet. When I finally believed that my point had been made, I shut up and sat down. Immediately, thereafter, Lillian Hames, SMART’s general manager, sent a guy over to control me if I spoke again. I calmly told him that it was a planned outburst and that I had nothing further to say.
Needless to say, by the time the meeting was adjourned, no one from SMART answered my question.
As of November 7, 2010, SMART claims that they are $350M under funded. Well, that’s really $500M with the cost of PTC, but please, don’t tell Ms. Fudge I told you so.
Bob Roberts bobr@stopsmart.org
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