If NJ Transit misses safety deadline, could Amtrak save the day?

Amtrak could save the day for New Jersey commuters if NJ Transit is barred from operating on the tracks to New York Penn Station because a critical safety system hasn't been installed.

Instead of hopping on an NJ Transit train, commuters would hop on trains pulled by Amtrak locomotives and crews, Amtrak's CEO told lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday.

That's what Richard Anderson proposed to members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, in testimony about the progress railroads are making toward installing positive train control by the end of December.

Though Congress required the crash-avoidance system almost a decade ago, 14 out of 19 of the country's commuter railroads may not be able to make the Dec. 31 deadline, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Anderson said NJ Transit and Metro-North were both at risk of not making the deadline.

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Anderson testified two weeks ago in the House of Representatives and again Thursday that Amtrak would not allow non-compliant equipment to operate on its tracks.

Tens of thousands of commuters rely on both agencies to commute in the region daily. Both railroads carry about 90 million passengers a year, and a service disruption related to positive train control has the potential to wreak havoc on the region's economy.

Thursday, he said Amtrak could deploy some of its Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives, and crews, to operate trains for the commuter agencies.

Amtrak operates 70 of the locomotives, which form the backbone of its fleet on the Northeast Corridor. Anderson didn't say how many more trains it might be able to operate with its locomotives and crews.

He did say that Amtrak is working with both NJ Transit and Metro-North to help them meet the deadline.

"We want to see them succeed," Anderson told lawmakers.

Though the Government Accountability Office report doesn't name the laggards, its author, Susan Fleming, hinted that it would be a heavy lift for some to get it done.

"Quite frankly, it looks a little bit tight," she told lawmakers.

Herb Jackson contributed to this article from Washington.