Fred Frailey commentary:Bloomberg News wrote:BNSF Railway Co., the railroad owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is ratcheting up pressure on Congress to postpone a deadline for installing a safety system by the end of the year, saying it would probably have to halt freight and passenger traffic if the requirement isn’t delayed.
Congress mandated in 2008 that U.S. railroads install what’s known as positive train control, which can automatically stop a train to avoid a collision, by the end of 2015. But the major railroads have said they’re still years away from fully implementing it. Safety regulations trump BNSF’s obligation as a common carrier to haul freight for customers, BNSF said in a letter sent to Senate commerce committee chairman Wednesday.
“BNSF is concerned that it is not reasonable to operate in violation of a legal safety requirement in order to fulfill its common carrier obligation,” the letter, signed by BNSF Chief Executive Officer Carl Ice, said. “BNSF, as a matter of law, corporate policy and principle, does not willfully violate safety statutes or regulations or ask our employees to do so.”
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