OmniTRAX short line completes PTC project in Illinois

Illinois Railway LLC (IR) is one of the first short lines to implement fully functional positive train control (PTC) and enable the safety technology on its trains, the railroad's parent, OmniTRAX Inc., announced yesterday.

The IR has installed PTC equipment on three locomotives to maintain interoperability with similar technology used by BNSF Railway Co. and Metra trains operating on the commuter railroad's busiest territory between Aurora and Eola, Illinois, OmniTRAX officials said in a press release.

The short line received a grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to cover 70 percent of the PTC project's cost.

IR's PTC system, which took less than a year from the grant award to deployment, constantly monitors numerous locomotives, track and train network variables. While in PTC territory, the technology communicates with BNSF track wayside units and acts to prevent speed violations and collisions, OmniTRAX officials said.

Wabtec Corp. provided the PTC system's hardware, configuration, installation, lab and field testing and training for the IR project.

"The PTC system on the IR is state-of-the-art for a short line railroad and will work to keep the citizens of the area safe while enabling our customers to continue efficiently moving their freight,” said OmniTRAX Chief Operating Officer Sergio Sabatini.