Metro-North faces a deadline to install Positive Train Control technology.

Officials say that the commuter line has until the end of the year to put the technology on all lines.

Positive Train Control is a communication and signaling system that can be used on railroads to prevent collisions caused by excessive speed and human error.

As of December 2017, only 63 percent of the hardware has been installed.

In a letter to the MTA earlier this week, the Federal Railroad Administration said the deadline is "of paramount importance.”

The National Transportation Safety Board says that accidents like the 2013 Spuyten Duyvil derailment could have been prevented through the use of Positive Train Control.

The Metro-North derailment resulted in four deaths, including three victims from Hudson Valley.

Metro-North can apply for an extended deadline of December 2020.

If the request is denied, the commuter line could face fines of $27,000 per day, per car.