American Public Transportation Association announced that the commuter rail industry made a strong and continuous progress on Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation.
34% of commuter rail operators are in testing, revenue service demonstration, or are operating their trains with PTC, 85% of 13,698 pieces of onboard equipment have been installed on locomotives and cab cars, 79% of 14,083 wayside (on track equipment) installations have been completed.
According to the current law, the companies are required to meet the December 2018 deadline, with all PTC hardware being installed (wayside and onboard equipment), the must acquire all necessary spectrum for PTC implementation (currently, 91% have purchased), must complete all employee training, and must initiate testing on at least one territory subject to the PTC requirement.
“Every year, 30 commuter railroads across America safely carry passengers on 501 million trips. With safety as our number one priority, the commuter railroads are making strong and continuous progress in implementing Positive Train Control,” APTA President Paul Skoutelas said.
Upon reaching these milestones by the end of 2018, the commuter railroads must implement PTC as soon as practicable and no later than December 31, 2020.
The commuter railroad industry’s cost to implement PTC will exceed USD 4.1 billion, and since Congress mandated PTC, the federal government has awarded USD 272 million in PTC grants. Additionally, another USD 250 million was made available in May 2018.
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