HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The nations two largest railroads, both of which have a large presence in Hutchinson, say they will not violate the federal mandate that requires a safety program be in place on all class one railroads by the end of the year.

That means both BNSF and Union Pacific could cease operations where Positive Train Control is not operational. And it’s not known if any of the seven major railroads in the US can do it by then. All are asking congress to extend the deadline to have the program and equipment in place.

PTC, as it is known, was mandated by the federal government to help avoid train collisions due to human error. It uses GPS and other computer programs to constantly monitor a train’s movements. Failure to comply with any running orders by a train crew forces the system to stop the train. Both railroads have expressed that there is no way the system will be up and running by the end of the year.

Both railroads have spent several billion dollars to fund the mandate, and expect that cost to increase over the next year. The deadline also comes as railroads are putting train crews on furlough due to declining shipments. It’s not just freight traffic that would be affected. All commuter and Amtrak trains could also come to a standstill if the program is not operational.

That would mean all intercity commuter traffic as well as trains like Amtrak’s SW Chief could cease operations, unless the railroads get their extension, or choose to violate transportation laws.