Help with PTC implementation: Rail supply community perspectives

Compiled by Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor

There’s only about two years left for the dozens of freight and commuter railroads impacted by the Rail Safety Act of 2008 to meet the federal deadline for implementing positive train control (PTC). Or, nearly four years remaining for those roads that meet certain conditions for a two-year extension, such as the installation of all PTC hardware by 2018’s end.

When completed, PTC systems will be operating on about 60,000 route miles in the United States. The systems will include devices installed on 25,000 passenger and freight locomotives, or 90 percent of all motive power.

But before railroads reach the completion stage, teams of railroaders, manufacturers, software designers and safety experts will continue to toil full time to develop, test, validate and install the many complicated and interconnected pieces of PTC systems. The rail supply community offers many products and services, some of which are new or redesigned, to help railroads adopt the technology.

Click on the following links to:

Read "Perspective" essays to learn how 28 suppliers and service providers are helping railroads with implementation; and

Access information on various PTC products and services from 38 members of the supply community.