The news makers of 2015

摘要

As we prepare to roll our calendars over to 2016, it seems appropriate to look back on the year that was and reflect on those stories that got the industry reading and clicking online. More specifically, what piqued RT&S readers' attention in 2015 and why. The most popular series of stories from our website during the past year was our coverage of what was the impending Positive Train Control (PTC) deadline, which was originally set for December 31, 2015. While it was understood that the majority of railroads requiring the technology would miss the original deadline, there was a lot of confusion at the beginning of the year surrounding the Federal Railroad Administration's enforcement strategy of the deadline. Once railroads began to layout service suspension plans, pressure was on Congress to extend the deadline. The House of Representatives passed a three-year extension on October 27 with the Senate following on October 28 and President Obama signing the legislation into law on October 29.