WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Congress must act soon to
extend a Dec. 31 rail safety deadline or risk major disruptions
to the U.S. economy, the Republican chairman of the Senate
Commerce Committee said on Thursday.
"We cannot wait until the last minute to act. I believe,
absent congressional action, we will begin to see the effects of
the deadline four to six weeks prior to the Dec. 31 deadline, as
railroads begin to cycle traffic off their lines," Senator John
Thune of South Dakota said at a hearing.
Thune was talking about a congressionally mandated deadline
for freight and passenger railroads to implement a new safety
technology known as positive train control, or PTC, by the end
of 2015. Most railroads are not expected to meet the deadline,
and major freight handlers have said they may suspend service
without an extension rather than operate outside federal law.