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PTC

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UP, BNSF, NS agree to establish positive train control interoperability standards

(Union Pacific, BNSF Railway and Norfolk Southern issued the following on October 8.)

OMAHA, Neb., FORT WORTH, Texas, and NORFOLK, Va. Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE: BNI) and Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) today announced that they have reached an agreement on establishing interoperability standards for Positive Train Control (PTC), a critical component to safely implementing PTC technology across all rail systems.

PTC is a predictive collision avoidance technology that can stop a train before an accident occurs. PTC is designed to keep a train within authorized limits on a track and under its maximum speed limit. To accomplish this, sophisticated technology and braking algorithms will automatically bring PTC-equipped passenger and heavy freight trains to a safe stop. This will help prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments and casualties or injuries to the public and railway workers.

Our joint development of interoperable standards for a PTC system with NS and BNSF is a significant hurdle that we have overcome and brings us much closer to a safe technology solution. Interoperability is one of our key challenges since freight and passenger trains share tracks and must be able to exchange and use information in order for PTC to function appropriately, said Dennis Duffy, Union Pacific executive vice president-Operations. We look forward to working with elected officials and regulators on another key challenge the need for additional radio spectrum so that we have sufficient communication, especially in metro areas such as Los Angeles and Chicago.

The development and testing of positive train control systems has made great progress in the past decade, said Carl Ice, BNSF Railways executive vice president and chief operations officer. The railroad industry is committed to continuously improving safety by developing and implementing proven, effective technologies that can operate across multiple railroads and rail lines, and this agreement is essential to that process.

PTC has been a focus for NS and the industry for many years. While we have worked diligently to address the technical challenges of developing a deployable system, interoperability among railroads has remained a challenge. This agreement has put us on a fast track to realizing the benefits of PTC, said Stephen Tobias, NS vice chairman and chief operating officer.

Passed October 1, 2008, The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 requires all Class I railroads and passenger railroads to implement a PTC system by December 31, 2015 on all main line track where intercity passenger railroads and commuter railroads operate, as well as on lines carrying toxic-by-inhalation hazardous materials. Train signal systems such as Automatic Train Control (ATC) and Automatic Train Stop (ATS) are used across many rail networks today, but these are not PTC systems. ATC and ATS are reactive systems, which means they wait for train engineers to acknowledge alarms and would not prevent collisions under all circumstances. PTC involves robust, predictive technology that detects upcoming conditions and takes control of the train when needed.

PTCs sophisticated computer systems, with safety-critical software, use GPS for determining train location. The requirements for data accuracy, availability and communications have been developing for more than a decade, requiring hundreds of millions in funding from the railroads, the government and suppliers.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation owns one of Americas leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country and serves the fastest-growing U.S. population centers. Union Pacifics diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy, Industrial Products and Intermodal. The railroad offers competitive long-haul routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways. Union Pacific connects with Canadas rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major gateways to Mexico, making it North Americas premier rail franchise.

About Burlington Northern Santa Fe

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporations subsidiary BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest North American rail networks, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, carries the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulfur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nations premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North Americas largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

FMB · Board Modification Mediator

Executives from the two companies told state lawmakers that they need more space on the crowded radio spectrum for the system to communicate with nearby trains, as well as additional funding to install it.

Like we didn't know this was coming............

Buckethead · Professional Asshole

Is this thing only to STOP a train? Would the engineer always still run it like normal?

Troll · 500 - Internal Server Error

Buckethead wrote:

Is this thing only to STOP a train? Would the engineer always still run it like normal?

Arty Martin says the conductor will be the last man left on the engine. They can make set out and pick ups with the belt pack and monitor the equipment.

Calvin · Upgraded Condition?

Buckethead wrote:
Is this thing only to STOP a train? Would the engineer always still run it like normal?

There will always be an Engineer.
That is why Dirt Bag Bob is trying to crack Screw consist.

http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/RRDev/ptcnprm.htm

Paragraph (c) highlights various issues that designers should be
aware of and attempt to prevent during the design process. For example,
paragraph (c)(1) addresses ``reduced situation awareness and over-
reliance,'' which can result when products transform the role of a
human operator from an active system controller to a passive system
monitor. Essentially, a passive operator is less alert to what the
system is doing, may rely too heavily on the system and become less
capable of reacting properly when the system requires the operator's
attention. For that reason the HMI requirement promotes operator action
to maintain operation of the equipment and provide numerous
opportunities for practice. The requirement further provides that
operator action be sustained for a period of at least 30 minutes so
that an operator remains involved and resistant to distraction, e.g.,
management by consent rather than management by exception. In addition,
the HMI requirement promotes advance warning. This requirement is
designed to prevent an overreaction by operators who need to respond to
an emergency. By warning operators in advance when action is required,
the operator is more likely to take appropriate action. The final
requirement addressing situation awareness involves equalization of the
workload. Essentially, the operator should be assisted more during high
workload conditions and less during low workload conditions. To the
extent the HMI design addresses the proposed situation awareness
requirements, operators are more likely to be alert and react properly
when the system requires their attention.

b) How must locomotive engineer training be conducted? Training
required under this subpart for a locomotive engineer, together with
required records, must be integrated into the program of training
required by part 240 of this chapter.
    (c) What requirements apply to full automatic operation? The
following special requirements apply in the event a train control
system is used to effect full automatic operation of the train:
    (1) The PSP must identify all safety hazards to be mitigated by the
locomotive engineer.
    (2) The PSP must address and describe the training required with
provisions for the maintenance of skills proficiency. As a minimum, the
training program must:
    (i) As described in Sec. 236.923(a)(2), develop failure scenarios
which incorporate the safety hazards identified in the PSP, including
the return of train operations to a fully manual mode;
    (ii) Provide training, consistent with Sec. 236.923(a), for safe
train operations under all failure scenarios and identified safety
hazards that affect train operations;
    (iii) Provide training, consistent with Sec. 236.923(a), for safe
train operations under manual control; and
    (iv) Consistent with Sec. 236.923(a), ensure maintenance of manual
train operating skills by requiring manual starting and stopping of the
train for an appropriate number of trips and by one or more of the
following methods:
    (A) Manual operation of a train for a 4-hour work period;
    (B) Simulated manual operation of a train for a minimum of 4 hours
in a Type I simulator as required; or
    (C) Other means as determined following consultation between the
railroad and designated representatives of the affected employees and
approved by the FRA. The PSP must designate the appropriate frequency
when manual operation, starting, and stopping must be conducted, and
the appropriate frequency of simulated manual operation.

Buckethead · Professional Asshole

The Conductor is the last man standing? OMLA!

Once he wakes up, maybe then he can set out the cars...

Troll · 500 - Internal Server Error

Whatever happened to that new UTU craft "Door Operator" ???

Conductor survives under PTC

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The New York City Transit Authority intends to replace subway motormen with positive train control (PTC), leaving the conductor as the only crew member under computerized train operation, reports Trains magazine in its July 2004 issue.

The computer operated subway trains are scheduled to begin operation in March 2005 on the Transit Authority's L Line, which runs from 14th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan to Canarsie in Brooklyn.

Other routes are expected also to be equipped with positive train control, with the entire subway system computer operated by 2025, said the Transit Authority.

The only crew member remaining, reported Trains magazine would be the conductor, who would operate the doors.

June 15, 2004

FMB · Board Modification Mediator

"BNSF has had a plan in place for implementation of PTC over many of the routes specified in the legislation," said BNSF EVP and COO Carl Ice. "We will be able to accelerate that plan to meet the statutory deadline and, if financing is available, may be able to implement PTC sooner in specific parts of our system, such as those where commuter rail service operates."

---------------------------------------------------------------

If financing is available........??

The sniveling has officially begun.........!!

Troll · 500 - Internal Server Error

Four major railroads agree on PTC standards

With the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (H.R. 2095/S. 1889) just a presidential signature away from becoming law, four Class Is already are taking action to comply with the legislation's positive train control (PTC) mandates, Progressive Railroading magazine reports.

The four reached an agreement on PTC interoperability standards while two of them announced plans to begin implementing the technology in the Los Angeles area.

The bill will require all Class Is and passenger railroads to implement a PTC system on all mainlines where freight, intercity passenger and commuter trains operate, as well as on lines used to haul hazardous materials by Dec. 31, 2015.

A predictive collision avoidance system, PTC is designed to stop a train before an accident occurs, and keep a train within authorized limits and under the maximum speed.

One of the major obstacles facing Class Is as they work to meet the mandate is the interoperability of various PTC systems among various large roads and passenger railroads that share tracks. To that end, BNSF Railway Co., CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Corp. and Union Pacific Railroad have announced they reached the pact on PTC interoperability standards.

"While we have worked diligently to address the technical challenges of developing a deployable system, interoperability among railroads has remained a challenge," said NS Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Stephen Tobias in a prepared statement. "This agreement has put us on a fast track to realizing the benefits of PTC."

The Class Is plan to work with elected officials and regulators to gain additional radio spectrum and establish sufficient communications for PTC, especially in L.A. and Chicago, said UP Executive Vice President of Operations Dennis Duffy.

Meanwhile, UP is pursuing its own plan to implement PTC on lines it shares with commuter railroads in the L.A. area by 2012. On Sept. 12, UP and Metrolink trains collided in Chatsworth, Calif., after the Metrolink engineer allegedly ran his train through a red signal.

UP plans to test its version of PTC, the Vital Train Management System (VTMS), on its lines in Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming, and in Washington and Idaho as part of a joint test with Canadian Pacific Railway.

The Class I already has started to test VTMS a system developed by Wabtec Railway Electronics thats designed to override the engineer or train operator when necessary on 456 miles of track. The tests will further validate the system's hardware and software, said Duffy.

"A metropolitan area such as L.A. presents unique operational and technical requirements, such as the high volume of radio spectrum needed and shared lines between freight and passenger trains," he said.

BNSF also plans to install its version of PTC on L.A.-area lines by 2012's end.

"BNSF has had a plan in place for implementation of PTC over many of the routes specified in the legislation," said BNSF EVP and COO Carl Ice. "We will be able to accelerate that plan to meet the statutory deadline and, if financing is available, may be able to implement PTC sooner in specific parts of our system, such as those where commuter rail service operates."

Since 2003, the Class I has been working with Wabtec Railway Electronics to develop the Electronic Train Management System (ETMS), which is designed to enforce train movement authorities, signal aspects, speed restrictions and work zones, and monitor switch position in non-signaled territory.

BNSF has tested ETMS on a 135-mile line in Illinois and continues to test the system between Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Okla. ETMS has "passed every test during more than 1,600 train trips made so far, [and] has stopped every train that it should have stopped, and not stopped any train that it should not have stopped," BNSF officials said.

The Class I has Federal Railroad Administration approval to implement ETMS on a test basis under certain conditions. ETMS tests on multiple-track mainlines shared by freight and passenger trains are under way, BNSF said.

(This item appeared in Progressive Railroading magazine Oct. 13, 2008.)

October 13, 2008

Brizy · Internet Punk

Union Pacific will install the technology on 60 miles of track it operates between downtown L.A. and Riverside, while Burlington Northern's system will span 66 miles between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

Once again, these dumb bastards cant get their news right....BNSF has never owned any trackage to SB....They had rights once for like 2 weeks but that was it....They have the routes flopped....

From LA to Riverside, I can see the PTC....Its heavily used by Metrolink and an occasional Amtrak from Fullerton to Berdo....Now, from Fullerton north to downtown? Its HEAVILY used by Metrolink and Amtrak.....They already had a head on collision at Atwood about 7 years ago with a BNSF and a Metrolink that killed 3....BNSF paid out HUGE for the lawsuits...I cant imagine how much money UP is gonna have to shell out for 25 dead....

Master Of Trainz · Signs of Life

Brizy wrote:
I cant imagine how much money UP is gonna have to shell out for 25 dead....

I don't understand your crew room way of thinking, why would the UP have to pay out anything?

Uke · Cured

True dat! 'Specially considering Metrolink went public via every media source available and ADMITTED fault. And blamed their own operator, who hadn't spoken in his own defense.

Very likely he won't refute statements made by his former employers. Ever.

Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

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Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

This is the official end of my post.

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It looks like the link pointing here was faulty.