Washington, DC — Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) announced that the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) will receive $9.9 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to upgrade its Positive Train Control (PTC) system in Ventura County and throughout Southern California to further improve rail safety. PTC systems help prevent collisions and derailments. This announcement comes ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the Metrolink crash in Chatsworth that took place on September 12, 2008 and killed 25 people, including 21 Ventura County residents.
“I am pleased to see Metrolink receive this critical funding so it can continue to lead the way on Positive Train Control technologies,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “This funding will directly contribute to the improved performance, reliability, and safety of passenger and freight rail services in Ventura County and across Southern California — which is essential to keeping our local economy moving and local community safe. The families of the victims of the Metrolink crash continue to be in my thoughts, and I will keep working in Congress to ensure rail safety is a top priority.”
Metrolink will receive $9,944,000 from DOT’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program to upgrade processing power and improve hardware. Brownley wrote a letter of support to the Federal Railroad Administration in support of Metrolink’s grant application. Learn more about the grant here.