Transit officials in Utah plan to suspend services on a segment of commuter rail connecting the suburbs north of Salt Lake City, citing the prohibitive cost of complying with new federal safety rules mandating PTC (Positive Train Control).
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is accepting grant applications for projects that will strengthen rail safety efforts through the implementation of positive train control (PTC), crossing improvements and congestion mitigation.
Wabtec Corporation announced it has signed a contract worth about $62 million to design, install, test and commission Positive Train Control (PTC) for the Central Florida Rail Corridor, which operates the SunRail commuter rail service.
Heath Hall, the acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, the nation’s rail safety watchdog, resigned Feb. 11 amid allegations that he was working a second job as a public relations consultant.
Mike O’Malley began his tenure as President of the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) on Feb. 1, 2018 taking over for Tom Simpson, who has retired.
BNSF Railway Company plans to spend $3.3 billion on capital investments in 2018 – the same as the previous year – both for maintenance and expansion projects to meet customer demands.
Whether a federal government shutdown lasts one day or for weeks or months, safety-critical functions affecting railroads are undisturbed.
Amtrak has a new Executive Vice President and Chief Safety Officer, and he is a former chief safety officer at both Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The Jan. 9 appointment of Ken Hylander clearly signals that Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson—also a Northwest and Delta alumnus—has decided the passenger railroad’s safety programs need a wholesale overhaul.
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Elaine Chao sent a form letter to 47 Class 1, intercity and state and local transit authorities to stress the urgency and importance of implementing Positive Train Control (PTC) by Dec. 31, 2018.
Way back in the day … I’m talking way back like 2013, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) was about to award some eager, bright, inquiring minds some money to do a study of the challenges and problems of PTC implementation on commuter railroads. The purpose of the study was to identify these challenges, and develop some iteration of “best practices” that might be of help to other properties facing the challenge of PTC implementation.