• Amsted Rail Group consolidates three subsidiaries' engineering departments into two divisions (6/8/2004)

• Assistant Vice President Bridges & Structures

12/9/2016

CalAmp: Radios for PTC applications

CalAmp provides the rail industry with ITC 220 data radios for locomotive, base station and wayside applications. The radios are manufactured specifically for use by North American railroads for positive train control (PTC) applications. Operating between 217.6 and 222.0 MHz, the multichannel, software defined radios meet railroad requirements for interoperable train control (ITC).

CalAmp's ITC 220 radios also provide wireless packet data transport between locomotives, base stations, and wayside locations.

The CalAmp-designed radios provide the critical data link between locomotives, base stations, wayside switches and other railroad systems. That allows the PTC system to work across different regions and railroads in a system designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into work zone limits and the movements of trains through switches left in the wrong position, CalAmp officials say.

CalAmp's ITC radios are helping to form a solid operational foundation on which the industry can evolve. As the PTC core safety aspects become operational established, system enhancements will bring improved operating efficiencies and increased capacity.

Anticipated benefits include increased capacity, and lower fuel costs and operating costs. CalAmp's ITC radios will evolve with the industry to continue to provide reliable data communications between locomotives, base stations and wayside locations.

"Metrolink is committed to an early implementation of PTC. One of the project risks was the development and creation of an industry standard interoperable radio," says Dan Guerrero, assistant director of PTC and communications and signals at the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which operates Metrolink. "CalAmp was the manufacturer who stepped up and provided the quantity and quality of radios our project required and furnished them within our timeline."