Sound Transit to install PTC equipment on trains

Starting this week, a contractor hired by Sound Transit will begin installing additional safety devices on all Sounder trains as part of positive train control (PTC) implementation work that's scheduled to be completed by 2015's end.

The PTC system is designed as a fail-safe feature to override human error that could lead to train accidents. The agency's PTC system requires modifications to Sounder vehicles, as well as upgrades to the signaling system, Sound Transit officials said in work announcement.

PTC implementation is required by federal law for all commuter-rail systems by Dec. 31, 2015. Sound Transit needs to install PTC equipment on eight miles of right-of-way property it owns between Tacoma and Lakewood, Wash. The project will include 50- to 60-foot antennas at five locations along with signaling equipment that will be used to communicate with the trains' onboard PTC equipment.