Working within the up-to five-year extension Congress granted in late 2015, the Association of American Railroads has set year-end 2016 goals for Positive Train Control implementation.
“In 2016, PTC is a priority for freight railroads as they focus on getting PTC installed and implemented as quickly as possible, without sacrificing safety,” AAR spokesperson Ed Greenberg told Railway Age. “The emphasis is that it is critical to make sure PTC is done right. Field testing of PTC is essential for safely deploying the technology and will be a critical focus for the rail industry this year. Currently, rail operators are discovering failure rates of up to 40% as they install and test PTC equipment in PTC labs and designated pilot territories, underscoring the importance of proper testing.”
Currently, the AAR expects the following to occur by Dec. 31, 2016:
• 38% of the targeted 60,153 route miles will have PTC technology.
• 63% of 22,066 locomotives will be equipped with PTC technology.
• 51% of the 114,515 employees requiring training will be PTC-qualified.
• 87% of the more than 32,654 wayside signal systems will be PTC-ready.
• 77 % of the 3,968 base station radios will be installed.
“As of Dec. 31, 2015, freight railroads had spent more than $6 billion on PTC with billions more to be spent as railroads continue installation and implementation,” Greenberg noted. “Final PTC implementation cost is expected to be in the $9 billion to $10 billion range. Congress extended the deadline for the installation of PTC by three years to 2018, and up to an additional two years, to 2020, to finalize full implementation and testing of the new technology, provided railroads meet specific progress benchmarks: PTC hardware is 100% installed on its system by Dec. 31, 2018; PTC technology is implemented on more than 50% of its system; employee training required by FRA regulations is completed; and all spectrum necessary for PTC implementation is obtained.”
The AAR continues to emphasize that railroad safety has seen substatial and steady improvement since long before PTC.
“Federal statistics show rail safety has been dramatically improving over the past several decades,” Greenberg said. “Derailments are down 80 % since 1980 and more than 40 % since 2000. “Statistics show 99.99% of tank cars containing crude oil and hazardous materials arrive at destination without incident. The industry recognizes continuous safety improvements are needed and it is something freight railroads remain focused on. They’re constantly incorporating new technologies to improve rail safety, including wayside fault detectors that monitor track and train integrity and specialized inspection cars that monitor track safety and identify track anomalies. Since [partial deregulation under the Staggers Act] in 1980, $600 billion has been spent on maintaining and further modernizing the 140,000-mile network. Millions are being spent on research and testing at TTCI, the industry’s research facility in Pueblo, Colo.”