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A hawk uses a Union Pacific PTC radio tower to survey the landscape for its next meal at La Fox, Ill., in September 2019. UP reports PTC has been implemented on 93 percent of the system mileage requiring the technology. TRAINS: David Lassen OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific now has positive train control operating on […]
A Long Island Rail Road train arrives at Jamaica station on Aug. 18, 2019. The LIRR has begun PTC testing with revenue trains on four branch lines. TRAINS: David Lassen NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road has begun operating select trains on four branch lines with positive train control, expanding use of the […]
The cab of one of the three Illinois Railway locomotives equipped for PTC operation displays the Wabtec equipment installed to allow interoperability with BNSF Railway and Metra. OmniTRAX OTTAWA, Ill. — The Illinois Railway has become one of the first short lines to fully implement positive train control, completing installation of equipment on three locomotives […]
A Metro-North New Haven-bound express train with Kawasaki M-8 railcars emerges from the tunnel leading to Grand Central Terminal. PTC transponder installation problems with the M-8 cars are among the issues that could keep Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road from meeting the deadline for PTC implementation. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK — The Metropolitan […]
WASHINGTON — Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering services and solutions will launch digital training for employees of railroads in the U.S. for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association members. Tech Mahindra will provide positive train control digital training customized for short line railroads. PTC is a […]
NJ Transit ALP-45DP 4508 leads an inbound Montclair-Boonton Line train at Montclair State University. Positive train control testing on this line and the Morris and Essex Line will be delayed because of PTC software issues. Ralph Spielman NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s challenges in implementing positive train controls have hit another snag, pushing back planned […]
Q: Do train crews have the ability to activate or deactivate crossing lights and gates? — Richard Collingwood, Milan, Ohio A: No. Here’s why: Crossing circuits have set approaches based off of warning time required and maximum speed of the trains. The modern day crossing processors — mini computers inside a crossing gate bungalow (the metal […]
An afternoon NJ Transit train arrives Short Hills Station in April 2017. The Morris and Essex line here is the positive train control proving grounds for the rest of the NJ Transit system. New multiple-unit cars expected to arrive in the mid-2020s will replace locomotives on most trains. Ralph Spielman NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit “still […]
Rebuilt GP40H-2B No. 4024, an ex-Penn Central unit, pushes NJ Transit Main Line train No. 1118 out of Secaucus toward Hoboken in August 2019 afternoon. Additional PTC funds ensure that this unit will be able to operate until replacement locomotives arrive at the end of 2020. Ralph Spielman NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s board of […]
New York Air Brake’s test train. New York Air Brake ATLANTA — One independent railroad professional sees New York Air Brake’s recent automation break through as an incremental step to fully automated railroading. Gary Wolf, principal at Wolf Railway Consulting, tells Trains that New York Air Brake’s Friday announcement that it started a stopped freight […]
SEATTLE — The Pierce County Council has passed a resolution calling on Amtrak, the Washington State Department of Transportation, Sound Transit, and other agencies not to reopen the ill-fated Point Defiance Bypass line to passenger service until the full menu of recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board is put in place. WSDOT and Amtrak […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration today provided a quarterly status update on railroads’ progress in fully implementing positive train control systems. Based on railroads’ second quarter 2019 PTC Progress Reports which were due to FRA by July 31, 2019, the 42 railroads subject to the statutory PTC mandate are making steady progress. “FRA is […]
