FRA certifies PATH's PTC system

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has certified the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp.’s (PATH) signal upgrades for meeting federal positive train control (PTC) requirements, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) announced yesterday.

The certification means that PATH has achieved formal PTC completion ahead of the federal Dec. 31 deadline for implementation, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.

PATH is the first railroad system in the region and one of the first in the country to meet the federal PTC requirements, they added.

The certification follows extensive testing and review by federal officials and affirms PATH and the port authority's compliance with all technical and operational elements of PTC, PANYNJ officials said.

To complete the process of installing and testing equipment and software this year, PATH scheduled weekend station and service outages from June through October. The new PTC-mandated signal system is now operational on all PATH lines.

"The port authority and PATH have worked diligently to ensure that we continue to provide exceptional safety and security for all of our customers," said PANYNJ Chairman Kevin O'Toole. "What this will mean in the long term is a safer passenger experience for PATH riders that meets the most rigorous federal safety standards."

PTC is just one piece of a larger, more comprehensive system PATH is adopting to enhance passenger safety and convenience and improve the customer experience.

PTC is a component of communication-based train control (CBTC), a more comprehensive signal system the agency is installing to replace a fixed-block system that limits the movement of trains from one section to the next, PATH officials said. CBTC calculates and communicates a train's exact position, speed travel direction and safe braking distance. As installation continues, regular software updates and patches required by the new technology will enable PATH to continue to fine-tune the new system.

When CBTC is fully installed, trains will be capable of running more frequently and closer together, which is part of future plans to increase service during rush hour, PATH officials said.

For more information on PATH’s PTC implementation and progress other railroads have made with adopting the technology, read this feature from Progressive Railroading’s October issue.