PTC is a safety system. Describing it as an "autopilot" seems like an exaggeration to me, though I suppose it may automate some tasks that a conductor may have

PTC is a safety system. Describing it as an "autopilot" seems like an exaggeration to me, though I suppose it may automate some tasks that a conductor may have done before. It was also mandated by federal regulation and from everything I ever heard about it, it was done begrudgingly by the railroads as it is expensive and adds complexity and new failure modes. The commuter trains in my area are now frequently delayed due to "PTC issues".