Union Pacific announced the completion of the Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation, activating its final track segment, a year before the congressional deadline. The technology is now implemented on all the company’s federally mandated rail lines, including required passenger train routes.
“PTC is one of the biggest rail industry breakthroughs, designed to keep our crews and communities safer through technology. While Union Pacific began its first PTC operations nearly four years ago, we have now completed our initial implementation and continue supporting other railways in our mutual efforts to achieve interoperability and safely operate on our rail lines,” said Greg Richardson, Union Pacific general director Operating Systems and Practices.
Union Pacific will continue working with partner railway companies on their interoperability efforts, ensuring seamless operation onto the company’s tracks.
The U.S. company currently hosts 25 freight and passenger railways, which must achieve PTC interoperability by December 2020. Sixteen of these railways are compliant, encompassing 85% of Union Pacific’s interoperable PTC train miles. While the company’s PTC infrastructure is in operation, UP continues working with its remaining partner companies, which are expected to take necessary steps to reach interoperability by mid-2020.
Previously, UP announced that PTC implementation on 100 percent of required rail lines will be completed in mid-December 2019. Now, all company’s trains operating on 17,062 PTC-mandated route miles are operating with PTC locomotives.
The company has invested USD 2.9 billion to make PTC operational. Under the programme, UP equipped 5,515 locomotives and more than 17,000 route miles. It has installed more than 10,000 wayside antennas and 5,515 locomotive radios.
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