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9/12/2012
Yesterday, the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) tested a fully equipped positive train control (PTC) test train during an event in Los Angeles. The event was attended by local, federal and railroad industry officials, including L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman and Federal Railroad Administration Deputy Administrator Karen Hedlund. In addition, representatives from regulators and labor unions, and top leaders from BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad were in attendance. Metrolink will be the first commuter-rail agency in the nation to operate its system with PTC technology, Metrolink officials said in a prepared statement. The technology was mandated by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which was passed following a fatal crash involving Metrolink and UP trains in Chatsworth, Calif., in September 2008. If a train is moving in unauthorized areas or traveling too fast, PTC can override the train and stop it before an incident occurs. Metrolink, Amtrak, BNSF and UP have committed to implementing PTC technology in southern California before the federally mandated deadline of Dec. 31, 2015.
"I commend Metrolink and their freight railroad partners for their leadership in implementing positive train control, technology that can prevent collisions and save lives," said Hersman at the event.
Metrolink's PTC implementation is nearly 50 percent completed. The implementation program involves installing a back-office system to replace the current computer-aided dispatch system; installing onboard PTC equipment on 57 cab cars and 52 locomotives; installing wayside systems at 476 signal locations; and implementing a six-county specialized communication network to link the wayside signals, trains and centralized dispatch office.
The $210 million PTC program is fully funded, with state, federal and local dollars covering 73 percent, 16 percent and 11 percent, respectively, of project costs, Metrolink officials said.