ptc report

Delivering Positive Train Control (PTC): An Insider’s Guide

Delivering Positive Train Control (PTC): An Insider’s Guidewww.SmartRailWorld.com2

With the 2015 federal mandate for Positive Train Control rapidly approaching but still wrapped in uncertainty as to any possible extension, railroads across the US continue to strive towards deployment but face evolving challenges of unprecedented complexity.

For this e-book we’ve spoken to those at the heart of the development of Positive Train Control (PTC) from DART, NTSB, Alaska Railroads, HP and many more. We take a look at the latest developments, speak to industry experts and analyse trends and future opportunities. It’s not just another collection of facts and figures but an insight into the reality of the direction of Positive Train Control (PTC); the opportunities and potential but also the challenges still to be overcome.

All the contributors to this e-book are confirmed as speaking at the Positive Train Control World Congress taking place in Orlando Florida on April 15-17th. It’s the only dedicated congress for the whole value chain and is completely free to attend for railroad and government employees. Join over 300 senior PTC professionals and over 50 expert speakers for 3 days of case studies, workshops, demos, professional training and roundtable sessions to drive the US rail network forward and successfully deliver PTC.

Each of the features within this e-book was first published on SmartRail World www.smartrailworld.com which offers a truly global perspective on rail and metro signalling with a specific focus on Positive Train Control. To ensure you are enjoying the latest news and become a subscriber for free today. Many thanks to all the contributors who took time to speak to me and help make this book happen.

We hope you enjoy this e-book and find it stimulating, informative and perhaps even a little inspiring.

Regards and thanks,

Luke UptonEditor SmartRail World

Dear colleague,

Many thanks for downloading

Delivering Positive Train

Control (PTC): An Insider’s Guide.

PS – If you would like to contribute to SmartRail, please email: [email protected]

http://globaltransportforum.com/ptc-world-congress/

http://globaltransportforum.com/ptc-world-congress/


1. Infographic – How to keep your positive train control plan on track

2. Metrolink – on track to be the first commuter railroad in the U.S. to deploy PTC.

3. Alaska Railroad funding request puts fresh spotlight on Positive Train Control (PTC) funding.

4. “We are urging the railways to have higher expectations,” how a famous old name is offering creative new solutions in rail.

5. Helping to solve the ‘Achilles’ heel’ of Positive Train Control: PTC-220 LLC.

6. Positive Train Control (PTC) in focus: North County Transit District (NCTD) in California.

7. Executive Interview: Timothy McKay, Executive Vice President Growth and Regional Development at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).

Contents

Using SmartRail technology to build the railway of the future.www.SmartRailWorld.com4

How to keep your positive train control plan on track

HOW TO KEEP YOUR POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL PLAN ON TRACK For US railroads to operate as safely and e!ciently as possible, it is imperative PTC is installed successfully. As the numbers highlight, this is a complex and expensive challenge for all key stakeholders involved. Put your railroad on the right track, by joining us at the PTC World Congress.

Locomotives need to be shopped + outfitted with interoperable hardware

Meet the leading hardware providers

in our exclusive PTC World Congress exhibition

of 150,000 employees need some training for PTC

Don’t miss Training Workshop hosted by Corys Thunder and

their Class 1 customers

Wayside Units across much of US track need to be upgraded or reinstalled

Learn how SFRTA& LA Metro

completed track upgrades

Estimated total cost to install and maintain PTC over next 20 years

Meet over 40 railroads looking

for cost e!ective solutions

and 1,000+ injuries across 26 NTSB investigations could have been avoided with Positive Train Control technology

Put your questions to the

NTSB Chairman in an exclusive Q&A

Download the PTC World Congress brochure for more details

The PTC World Congress is FREE to attend for all railroad and government representatives

miles of track to be mapped in US

Optimize operations with an e!ective communication

network, with solutions providers such as Leidos and Power Trunk

75%+

Learn more about Positive Train Control from the leaders in the industry. Visit www.ptcworldcongress.com for more details and join us today!

2

3

4

6

5

7

1

need to be made interoperable and fully functional to ensure safety across the US freight and commuter rail network

Benchmark against success stories at Sound Transit, NCTD, DART and Alaska Railroad

7 Class 1 railroads and over 25 commuter train lines


“We believe PTC is perhaps the most important safety innovation in our lifetime…”Following the Hudson Line tragedy of the 1st December, Positive Train Control (PTC) is again under the spotlight, with claims that if it had been deployed, the fatal accident would not have occurred. Experts state that if PTC had been deployed on the Metro-North line it would not have allowed the train to exceed the speed limit and it would have slowed and eventually stopped the train when the driver became unresponsive. Although the investigation into the Hudson Line derailment is on-going, initial reports point at driver error and the potential that he momentarily fell asleep whilst in control of the train which barreled into a curve at 82 miles per hour, nearly three times the speed allowed through the area.

Railroad and federal safety officials have long pushed for PTC (which combines GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor trains and stop them from colliding, derailing or speeding) but the nationwide development of this has been opposed by some within the railroad industry because of the high cost, technological issues and perceived short deadline of 2015. SmartRail World goes back to where the PTC debate began and takes a look at the development of what is on track to be the first commuter railroad in the US to deploy PTC System with GPS – Metrolink in California.

Formed in 1991, Metrolink is governed by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) and comprises five county agencies that are tasked with reducing highway congestion and improving mobility throughout Southern California. Metrolink began service in October 1992 to fill a void in Southern California’s transportation infrastructure. The organization has served as the link between six Southern California counties by providing commuters seamless transportation connectivity options. Metrolink has grown from its original three service lines, 11 stations and 2,300 daily passengers to seven service lines, 55 stations with 44,000 weekday passengers, across its 512 mile network.

On Sept. 12, 2008, a Connex engineer operating a Metrolink train failed to stop at a red signal, causing a collision with a Union Pacific freight train. In this incident, 25 lives were lost and another 135 people were injured. California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein led Congress in adopting the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which mandated the installation of Positive Train Control (PTC) by the end of 2015. The Metrolink Board of Directors committed to implementing PTC in advance of the federal deadline to ensure Southern Californians are among the first in the nation to benefit from this life-saving technology.PTC will prevent train to train collisions, over-speed derailments and prevent the movement of trains through switches left in the wrong position. PTC monitors and, if necessary, controls train movement in the event of human error. PTC may also bring trains to a safe stop in the event of a natural disaster.

In order to meet the mandate laid out in the 2008 Rail Safety Improvement Act, Metrolink began the search for the best solution. The selected solution must also allow BNSF, UP and Amtrak to safely operate on Metrolink’s network, which means that the PTC system must be interoperable with each rail agency’s operating systems to ensure continued smooth, uninterrupted train operations among each agency.

As a result of its innovative efforts, Metrolink is on schedule to become the first commuter railroad in the US to fully deploy a PTC system that integrates GPS technology with train management computers and digital radio communications with the help of CalAmp’s 220 MHz Interoperable Train Control (ITC) transceivers. CalAmp’s 220 MHz ITC Transceivers provide Metrolink with the critical data link needed between locomotives, base stations, wayside signals and switches and other railroad systems in an automated command and control network. CalAmp’s solution allows Metrolink to meet the federal mandate requiring PTC, as well as work towards its own safety goals.

The wayside train signal system uses the CalAmp ITC 220 MHZ Transceivers to provide signal and switch status indications to the Metrolink dispatch system, as well as directly to approaching trains. The radios communicate with the train’s on-board computer, allowing it to display the train’s safe braking distance based on the train’s length, width, weight, along with the grade and curvature of the track. An audible warning notifies operating personnel of possible unsafe situations. If the engineer does not respond to the audible warning, the on-board computer will activate the brakes and safely stop the train.

“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. CalAmp was the manufacturer who stepped up and provided the quantity and quality of radios our project required and furnished them within our timeline.” Dan Guerrero, Assistant. Director PTC, C&S SCRRA. Metrolink will be the first commuter rail in the nation to implement this state-of-the-art technology, moving the agency closer toward its goal of becoming the safest commuter rail in the nation. “We believe PTC is perhaps the most important safety innovation in our lifetime,” said former Metrolink CEO John E. Fenton.

The Southern California Regional Rail Authority became the first US commuter rail operator to begin using Positive Train Control in revenue service on February 17 2014 . Metrolink has started operating with PTC on selected trains using the BNSF tracks between Los Angeles and Riverside.

Positive Train Control in focus: Metrolink - the first commuter railroad in the U.S. to deploy PTC


Alaska Railroad funding request puts fresh spotlight on Positive Train Control (PTC) funding

The news in February 2014 that Alaska Railroad requested the Legislature to add $26 million to the governor’s budget to keep a $153 million Positive Train Control (PTC) upgrade on track has again cast a spotlight on the issues of financing the system as the federally mandated 2015 deadline approaches. “We think it’s a prudent decision for the Legislature and we hope you see it the same way,” Alaska Railroad President and CEO Bill O’Leary told the Senate Finance Committee. If the state-owned railroad doesn’t push ahead with the costliest safety automation effort in its history, federal law could bring a halt to all passenger service and fines of up to $25,000 a day, O’Leary added.

O’Leary and Alaska Railroad Vice President Eileen Reilly made their case to the Senate Finance Committee why the $15 million proposed by the governor for automation should be increased to $41 million. “Our capital budget for 2014 is just a little above $20 million. We need to be putting somewhere closer to $40 to $50 million per year into the railroad just to maintain what we’ve got. This is not expansion capital. This is just keeping what I call the wheels on the wagon,” O’Leary said in quotes reported in the Alaska Dispatch, Reilly added that if equipment and tracks are not kept in good repair, there are all sorts of mechanical problems that can cause accidents and have nothing to do with human error by train personnel. But what about some of the other major railroads and their financial plans for PTC?

Fort Worth, Texas-based BNSF Railway Co. said on February 5th 2014 that it plans to spend $5 billion this year on capital improvements, an amount that, if achieved, would be a $1 billion increase over 2013 levels and would shatter capital expenditure records for the railroad industry. It will spend approximately $900 million for terminal, line, and inter-modal expansion and efficiency projects, and another $200 million to install Positive Train Control (PTC). No U.S. railroad has ever spent $5 billion in capital expenditures in one year.

At Ferromex in Mexico, for the last fiscal year they budgeted $450 million for capital expenditures — or 30 percent of the railroad’s total income “That’s the highest of any other Class I in North America, U.S. railroads are around 17 percent; Canada’s, too” stated Ferromex Chief Executive Officer Rogelio Vélez. “Our five-year plan calls for aggressive growth — growth that is over the country’s growth,” says Vélez, who’s been with Ferromex since 2000 and CEO since 2008. “We will be spending heavily in the next five years. We need to make sure that we have enough capacity.”

The contrast between Alaska needing to seek more funding whilst BNSF and Ferromex having the resources to invest significantly in new infrastructure underlines further the problem that many seeking to deploy Positive Train Control have. And with an already tight federal budget seeking major support from Washington is a hard task. It’s clear that the vast majority of U.S. railroads will not install PTC by the end of 2015 and it’s expected that the Federal Railroad Administration will not issue fines or penalties if the railroad appears to be acting in good faith. Of course the primary driver of PTC is safety but let us just to conclude view another aspect – the Metro-North Railroad derailment that killed four people in the Bronx in December 2013 caused more than $9 million in damage to the railroad, requiring seven coaches and track to be repaired or replaced and that is excluding any costs from personal injury lawsuits. These could have been avoided with safety technology, however until a consistent level of financing across America’s railroads exists, a nationwide deployment of PTC seems some distance away.


“We are urging the railways to have higher expectations,” how a famous old name is offering creative new solutions in rail

HP is already in your office. And they probably have been for some time. There are few more familiar information technology providers in the market. And their classic blue and white logo sits atop many of the hardware, software and services technologies that have shaped modern business. But what you may not be as familiar with is the work that HP do within rail, where they are rapidly developing a reputation for delivering innovative IT solutions for a changing industry. SmartRail World takes an exclusive look at some of the projects, talks to their Chief Technologist about what makes their offering unique and gains a preview of what is coming up on the horizon for HP.

Our journey begins in Moscow where HP, though admittedly not one of the biggest players in the railway market lists Russian Railways, the world’s second-largest railway company as a client. When Russian Railways which operates 86,000 kilometres of routes, and carries approximately 1 billion passengers and 1.2 billion tonnes of freight annually across nine time zones needed to boost the maturity of its IT systems to meet its business goals it called HP.

“New challenges faced by the Main Computing Centre have driven demand for a fundamentally new approach to managing the support of IT services,” said Alexey Illarionov, Chief Information Officer, Russian Railways. “We needed a quality breakthrough in terms of IT-systems use. HP made it possible to increase the quality of IT services without increasing the number of IT specialists.”

The process-focused system delivered by HP in Russia is now used by 11,000 IT staff members and key IT providers, as well as 250,000 employees. With the world’s largest installation of HP Service Manager software, Russian Railways has automated processes for all incidents, changes and work orders carried out within the company’s IT infrastructure and is able to reallocate the most advanced IT resources for more innovative tasks.

The fact that this major project has been delivered by HP may surprise some. I spoke to Werner Dorfmeister, Chief Technologist, HP Enterprise Services about when they first moved into rail: “Well, HP has actually been in the rail sector for 30-40 years offering a broad range of services. But only within the last five years have we begun to develop specific solutions. We saw that the railway industry was changing and so were its needs and we produced a snapshot of what the industry would look like in 2020. Working back from this we took time to evaluate the market further and develop a proposition that was both valuable and unique to the industry. And the result is the HP i-Rail Initiative which offers solutions for all the technical subdivisions of a railway infrastructure in one portfolio. We ensure each client we work with has a solution tailored for them. What we deliver is fully customizable and integrates railway-specific know-how. Let me give you an example, when working with Russian Railways our partners there had a large amount of knowledge. We changed a lot of their systems for sure, but we didn’t want to dismiss the huge pool of existing expertise, so we ensured that it was harnessed and able to be used in a smarter and more efficient way.”

Another recent highlight for HP has been their work in increasing energy efficiency for Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZh), the Republic of Kazakhstan’s railway system operator. In deploying the HP/IPESOFT REMS (Rail Energy Management System) solution they were able to achieve 7 percent in electrical energy consumption and 13 percent in diesel fuel consumption. HP provides Applications Transformation and Integration Services to connect REMS to the existing systems, transforming the KTZh infrastructure into one that is more modern and better equipped to analyse available information and help reduce energy use.

With clients already in Russia and Kazakhstan, I asked Werner what made these Eastern European and Central Asian markets so keen on rail IT innovation: “Well, these are evolving countries who are incredibly keen to progress quickly. They have moved rapidly into the more advanced areas of rail bypassing some of the slower, legacy systems that exist in what might be perceived as more advanced nations. So these countries have moved from behind the rest of the world to quite rapidly ahead of most of it.” continued


“We are urging the railways to have higher expectations,” how a famous old name is offering creative new solutions in rail [cont.]

So from some of the rapidly developing rail nations to one of the most established, the USA as I was keen to ask Werner about HP’s developing work with Positive Train Control (PTC), the GPS-based safety technology being deployed against a 2015 government set deadline.

“We believe our technology offers a great platform for engaging with PTC technology. Certainly it’s a busy market, with established players that we are entering into, but I believe that through our experience from a lengthy heritage of innovation allied with a strong emphasis on building partnership and open architecture we can deliver. We are already talking to Class 1 Railroads and various key players in the US PTC ecosystem“

Taking this further, I asked if the potential of PTC was truly being recognised, beyond its primary goals of safety, Werner again “Safety is the top priority and of course always should be. But there is so much more that can be delivered by PTC. In signalling for example, why are we not combining automated signalling with the system? PTC takes an enormous amount of effort, energy and knowledge to make it happen. Many don’t think beyond its initial deployment. We are urging the railways to have higher expectations.”

And so the same for CBTC? “Yes, I think it’s a fair comparison. CBTC perhaps has a greater focus on efficiency than safety. But there is still much more that it can deliver than many are currently receiving.”

In concluding we discussed some of the advantages of working with HP; “Well, let me tell you something, I have at events been asked why it is that someone that sells printer cartridges is involved in this area of rail? I laugh but there is an advantage for us in this perception. We don’t have to capitalise our investments. When we build a new system, it’s an open standard. If you want to walk away you can, other vendors can come in and pick up the work. We aren’t the usual suspects and we aren’t walking down the same one way street as everyone else.”

Before we conclude I can’t help but ask Werner, whose enthusiasm for this aspect of our industry is abundant about what, aside from his work at HP most excites him about the rail: “I love this industry, and I really believe it’s got the brightest future of many industries. Two main reasons I see for such potential, firstly the industry hasn’t changed much over the course of its 150 year history until its recent, rapidly developing digital aspect. It’s a revolution! And secondly society is changing and becoming more urban and as such requires a completely new way of thinking about public transport. In big cities people are moving away from the car and into public transport. I think in many ways a car in the near future will be like a motorbike is now. Fifty years ago it was deemed an essential mode of transport, now for many it’s used purely for sport and hobby. People say the era of rail was the 19th Century, but I think it’s actually now!”


Helping to solve the ‘Achilles’ heel’ of Positive Train Control: PTC-220 LLC

SmartRail World looks at PTC-220 LLC, an alliance between the seven Class 1 railroads with the aim of securing spectrum to support interoperable Positive Train Control (PTC). Wireless connectivity has long been considered one of the “Achilles Heels” of PTC and PTC 220 is an effort to solve this problem. Formed by NS and UP in late 2007 it now composed of seven equal members comprised of the Class 1 railroads (CSX, BNSF, UP, NS, KCS, CN, CP) and operates through multiple committees made up of volunteers from the Members. The original purchase of 280 kHz of nationwide 220 MHz spectrum was made in 2008.

All members and non-members will have leases to allow use of PTC-220 spectrum. And PTC-220 provides spectrum whilst the lease holders provide the infrastructure.

As part of the PTC-220 LLC spectrum use, it’s ensured that the primary use is for PTC traffic using ITCnet channel access protocol and the secondary use for Non-PTC traffic. PTC-220 LLC’s lease fees are cost recovery based and assessed to non-Members reflecting a reasonable allocation of investment and other operating costs. And although members represent the majority of PTC deployment the fees may be off-set or eliminated by contributions of spectrum by a lessee.

To find out some more about PTC-220 LLC, we spoke to Henry McCreary, Director PTC Communications at CSX and President PTC-220. We started by asking Henry what some of the objectives of PTC-220 in 2014 were; “PTC-220’s objectives for 2014 are focused on the 220 radio network deployment for Positive Train Control. We’re continuing to refine our RF prediction tools and planning systems to support the significant deployments of the 220 radio network for PTC. Additionally, PTC-220 is becoming more proactive in its efforts to support the spectrum needs of non-member railroads in the geographic areas where we have excess spectrum capacity.”

Whilst speaking to Henry I also asked if railroads were taking advantage of opportunities to leverage PTC beyond just safety; “Any additional opportunities for business benefit from the investment is not the focus at this time. But the near term focus of PTC efforts is to meet the regulatory mandate.” And broadening the view from just PTC, asked Henry what excited him most about the future of North American rail; “What excites me most are the opportunities to offer efficient and environmentally friendly rail transportation – something that the American economy needs more of!”

“What excites me most are the opportunities to offer efficient and environmentally friendly rail transportation – something that the American economy needs more of!”


Positive Train Control (PTC) in focus: North County Transit District (NCTD) in California

SmartRail World journeys to California to find out how the North County Transit District (NCTD) is working with Positive Train Control (PTC) and integrating the system without interrupting service. The NCTD is the agency responsible for publication transportation in North San Diego County and transports over 1.6 million passengers per year, Multiple railroads operate and enter NCTD Territory: BNSF, Amtrak, Pacific Sun, and Metro link and NCTD dispatches all trains within its territory.

NCTD’s implementation of PTC is well underway as they have already begun installing the fiber optic cables from the Orange County line to Old Town in San Diego. The next phases of implementation will include installing communications infrastructure along the right of way, installing the on-board system, and conducting extensive testing.

NCTD is constructing a PTC test and training facility. The test and training facility is equipped with all PTC elements and will perform end-to-end testing before and after NCTD’s PTC system is commissioned. NCTD will also use this facility to familiarize train operators and maintenance staff with the requirements of PTC and to test hardware and software modifications.

NCTD will use a hy-rail suburban vehicle to test the PTC system. This vehicle is outfitted to run on the railroad tracks and is equipped with interior infrastructure to mimic a train, gather track data, and communicate with all PTC segments. The test vehicle will be used before and after PTC is commissioned to test the PTC system on the rail corridor.

We spoke to Robert Paladino, Rail Systems Engineer at NCTD, about what challenges they overcame in installing the new system; “The two main challenges we have faced with on-board is placement of the TMC within the locomotive and the cab car. We needed it to be in a place that didn’t restrict the engineers view and allowed them to be able to use the screen. The next obstacle was meeting the 49 CFR 238.103 which is Passenger Equipment Safety Standards. No one thought about this and the wiring in our locomotives for PTC didn’t meet the fire standards. All the wiring had to be pulled and new wires had to be placed inside the locomotive.”

And then asked what advice Robert would give to other railways what advice would you give to a railway just beginning the testing process? “NCTD is currently just beginning the testing process in the test and training facility. I think the key is to make sure your crew has a proper understanding of how the equipment works and how to properly conduct each test.”

After testing is fully complete the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will examine and certify the PTC system and operation before it is commissioned. NCTD is on target to implement PTC before the deadline of December 31, 2015.

VIEW THE INTERACTIVE SIMULATOR(Opens in New Window. Large file, please allow

several minutes to open)

http://www.gonctd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ptcanimation.avi


Interview: Timothy McKay, Executive Vice President Growth and Regional Development at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)

SmartRail World talks to Timothy McKay, P.E., Executive Vice President Growth and Regional Development at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1983, it operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs across a distance of 700 square miles. The DART Rail (light rail) network covers 85 miles providing 29.5 million passenger trips a year. Timothy is a professional engineer who graduated with a BSCE from Michigan Technological University and began serving DART as a consultant in 1987.

Luke Upton (LU): Hello, many thanks for the time today. Your position at DART is that of ‘EVP Rail Program Development’, perhaps we can begin by you telling us a little more about your role and responsibilities?

Timothy McKay (TMcK): “Hi Luke, of course. My role as Executive Vice President of Growth and Regional Development involves decision making and oversight for the departments of Commuter Rail, Rail Program Development, Planning and Development, Rail Planning, and Innovation/Transit Oriented Development. Some of the programs and strategies include continual transit system evaluation and corridor opportunities; system integration, continually planning, upgrading, and implementing systems services – such as new corridor opportunities, high-speed rail coordination, implementing a new street car system. Continually coordinating and working with the Member Cities to augment and improve services and programs through the transit communities.”LU: At the PTC World Congress you’ll be presenting a case study on planning and compatibility across a regional rail network, can you give us a quick preview of some of the key insights you’ll be delivering?

TMcK: “In North Texas DART is working in collaboration with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, and Denton County Transportation authority to implement a single PTC solution for the three agencies including: shared back-office solution, shared dispatch, shared disaster recovery, shared radio system designed to serve the three transit authorities, shared ROW designs and fiber optics that may be shared across the region. DART owns over 250 miles of rail corridor throughout North Texas and is host to BNSF, UP, FW&W, and the DGNO and in the near future will

host Amtrak. DART via the TRE is the contracting authority for a shared Operations and Maintenance contract which enables the authorities to maximize efficiencies and optimize the use of technology across the region. We are exploring opportunities with Class 1 railroads in the region to further leverage PTC and other operational and trackage rights agreements for mutual benefit.”

LU: Sounds great, and so how important is developing interoperability and open standards for maximizing the potential for PTC?

TMcK: “Open standards are vital to interoperability and successful operations of train movements across the nation’s railways. Beyond the obvious benefit of ensuring that equipment from different suppliers work seamlessly, open standards allow suppliers to offer competitive solutions and options for Operators. Furthermore open standards allow suppliers to develop innovative solutions that ultimately advance the technology making it more resilient and affordable.

A key to the long-term viability of PTC interoperability lies with technology sustainability which will only be achieved if open standards are applied and maintained. Of course with opens standards, a big challenge will be to find a way to maintain quality, configuration management, version control to ensure implementation consistency and ongoing interoperability.”

LU: PTC is a topic that gets significant media coverage, but the message is sometimes misunderstood by non-rail professionals. Do you think the industry does enough to communicate this development effectively? continued


Interview: Timothy McKay, Executive Vice President Growth and Regional Development at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) [cont.]

TMcK: “We can always strive to do a better job of communicating. That said, and specifically with regard to PTC there is a degree of caution that is being taken given current realities – this is an unfunded federal mandate and some railroads will be challenged to meet the federal deadline, concerns that the technology will be well tested and ready in time to meet the federal deadline with confidence that interoperability with all participating railroads can be achieved and standards, and equipment, that while they are being developed and delivered, have little time in the field prior to the federal deadline.

Whilst, commuter railroads are faced with very limited options when it comes to selecting equipment, buying or leasing spectrum and funding this initiative. Longer term, we all are going to be faced with maintaining systems/technologies that frankly I’m not sure as an industry, that we have completely thought out how that will be done to maintain interoperability.

Lastly, PTC is a highly technical and complex solution that that will require significant capital and operating funds to implement and operate.

With these kinds of challenges in mind, I think it is hard to develop a communication strategy at this point given the industry is at different levels of maturity and implementation. Before a communication strategy can be addressed we have more pressing matters such as addressing the federal deadline, establishing dedicated funding and making spectrum easier to obtain.”

LU: Thanks very much for that insight and just to conclude, and broaden the view from just PTC, as a rail professional what excites you most about the future of North American rail?

TMcK: “Of course improving the safety of our nation’s railroads is always a priority and something we strive to achieve to reduce the potential for accidents and loss of property and lives.

Going beyond the stated goals of PTC, the added benefits that PTC will bring in the future include leveraging infrastructure such as fiber optics and radio spectrum for other operational initiatives such as advanced real-time onboard and ROW diagnostics and monitoring activities.

Once implemented, the potential to leverage PTC infrastructure (radios, spectrum and or fiber optics) for other operational programs including: integration of technologies at Rail Platforms (Integration with Visual Message Boards, TVMS, Call Boxes, Camera Systems), intersections and Road Crossings (Camera’s, signals, signage), the potential to replace some of the existing equipment currently used on the TRE (redundant CTC radios and related infrastructure) and integration and consolidation of other onboard vehicles systems such as digital signage and advertising, automatic train announcements, passenger counters and other equipment that use antenna arrays; have a need to store event and positional data.”

“Open standards are vital to interoperability and successful operations of train movements across the nation’s railways.”

Renaissance Orlando, SeaWorld, Florida

April 15-17 2014

Joseph C. Szabo Administrator Federal Railroad Administration

Put your questions to the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, and hear their feedback on the PTC implementation deadline…

Mike DePallo CEO Metrolink

Last month Metrolink became the very first US commuter railroad to implement PTC. Register today to hear how the railroad achieved this, their lessons learned and what the future holds...

Ray LaHood Former US Secretary for Transportation

The honourable Ray LaHood will officially opening the congress, and be taking part in our Day One plenary session Q&A...

Book your place today www.ptcworldcongress.com

THE ONLY DEDICATED PTC EVENT FOR THE WHOLE VALUE CHAIN

REGISTER

NOW

This year’s congress features two streams for two audiences:

Don’t miss your chance to meet the industry’s leading PTC implementers across the whole value chain of railroads, metros, government officials and innovating suppliers.

FREE

FOR RAILRO

ADS,

METRO

S AND GOVERNM

ENT

Strategic implementation stream featuring:

AmtrakDART, BNSF, Union Pacific and

Canadian NationalCorys Thunder

NCTD, Alaska Railroad and TUV Rheinland

CSX Transportation and Metrolink

Practical systems stream featuring:

Sound Transit and Bombardier Transportation

LA Metro, South Florida Railroad Transit Authority and Power Trunk

Deuta-Werke, Leidos and Lilee Systems

Verizon Enterprise Solutions and HP Enterprise Services

“I’ve learnt a lot just listening to the other case studies, they were very

useful. Invaluable.”Rick Stones, AVP, Advanced Systems Planning,

Kansas City Southern

“I learn more in a networking coffee break at PTC World Congress than I

do at any other industry event.”Steve Hooper, Director of Operations,

Panama Canal Railway

“PTC World Congress provides an excellent networking opportunity

to learn how others meet their PTC challenges.”

Sid Bakker, Committee 39 Positive Train Control, AREMA

http://www.ptcworldcongress.com

https://www.etouches.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=79774&

ptc report

Documents

positive train control

imperative ptc

senior ptc professionals

insiders guidewww

us railroads

alaska railroads

ebook weve

us rail network