Railroads finish installation of crash-prevention system first mandated in 2015
Keith Laing, Bloomberg
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U.S. railroads have completed installation of an automated crash-prevention system that covers 57,536 miles of freight and passenger tracks, the Federal Railroad Administration announced Tuesday.
Railroads initially were given until the end of 2015 to install safety technology known as Positive Train Control under a federal law passed in the aftermath of a deadly 2008 commuter rail crash in Los Angeles that killed 25 people. Congress extended the deadline for railroads to implement PTC until the end of 2020 after the industry said it needed more time. Achieving 100% PTC implementation is a tremendous accomplishment and reflects the Department s top priorities safety, innovation, and infrastructure, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in a statement.
December 28, 2020
FRA Issues NPRM on Streamlining PTC Reporting Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Up for consideration: How a host railroad submits a request for amendment before making certain changes to its PTC safety plan and FRA-certified PTC system, and how PTC system functioning is reported.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise regulations on changes to Positive Train Control (PTC) systems and reporting PTC system functioning.
With PTC implementation due for completion Dec. 31, FRA has identified two existing provisions, 49 CFR 236.1021 and 236.1029(h), which, if not revised, “could impede the industry’s ability to advance PTC technology efficiently” in the future and “FRA’s ability to oversee the performance and reliability of PTC systems effectively.”
MTA completes Positive Train Control safety system on the LIRR
News 12 Staff
Updated on:Dec 23, 2020, 10:40pm EST
Your ride on the Long Island Rail Road just got safer thanks to the completion of an installation of a high-tech safety system.
MTA officials say the newly finished technology on LIRR trains will give commuters a safer ride. This technology can help stop accidents before they occur and keep our customers and employees safe, says MTA Chairman Patrick Foye. It s a major advance in transit not only here in New York but across the nation.
The MTA announced it has completed its Positive Train Control project on all of its trains. Congress enacted the Rail Safety Improvement Act back on 2008, requiring train operators to implement PTC.
December 23, 2020
NYMTA Commuter Railroads: 100% PTC Operational Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye (right), Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi and Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng announced Dec. 23 that the commuter railroads are operating in Positive Train Control (PTC) mode. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit)
Officials at New York MTA’s Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) announced Dec. 23 that implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) was complete, just ahead of the Dec. 31, 2020, federal deadline. They teamed with systems integrator Siemens Mobility and Bombardier Transportation on the project.
UpdatedWed, Dec 23, 2020 at 11:14 am ET
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The Hoboken Train Terminal, where a young mother was killed in a crash in 2016. Many have said that Positive Train Control might have prevented the tragedy. (Caren Lissner/Patch)
NEW JERSEY State officials announced Friday that NJ Transit has met the Dec. 31 deadline to fully install Positive Train Control. Some have said that the automated system meant to control a train s speed and thus reduce operator error might have prevented a tragedy on the rails in 2016.
On Sept. 29, 2016, a speeding NJ Transit train crashed into the end of the line at Hoboken terminal, causing debris to rain down and kill a young mother. The mother, Fabiola de Kroon, had just dropped her toddler daughter at day care in Hoboken and was about to commute to work in New York.