Union Pacific reports Positive Train Control progress
April 26th, 2018
April 26, 2018 - TRA Newswire -
Union Pacific continues to make strides implementing positive train control (PTC). The company anticipates it will meet all required deadlines for installing PTC on its network. As allowed by federal law, Union Pacific will continue to implement, test and refine the complex suite of technologies comprising the system in 2019-20.
Union Pacific's PTC footprint is the largest of all North American railroads, encompassing more than 17,000 route miles, roughly one-third of all PTC miles and 45 percent more than the next largest railroad. Union Pacific is in regular contact with the Federal Railroad Administration officials regarding its PTC progress.
Installing and implementing PTC across the U.S. rail network, including passenger and freight, is costly and complex. One of the most challenging parts of PTC implementation is ensuring system interoperability among all U.S. rail lines and locomotives. Given the various readiness levels of North American freight and passenger railroads, it is important that all railroads continue working together to maintain the health, safety, resiliency, and fluidity of the rail network as PTC is implemented.
Union Pacific's first quarter 2018 accomplishments included:
Preparing 8 additional track segments for PTC operations, bringing the total number of track segments to 176, or 97 percent complete. These track segments are equipped with wayside devices such as signals, switches and radios and have defined GPS coordinates, which identify thousands of precise locations for system wide PTC coordination.
Educating more than 3,300 additional employees on PTC operations, bringing the total number of employees trained to about 22,690, or 88 percent. Training materials are tailored to a variety of employee roles, including engineer, conductor, dispatcher, maintenance of way/engineering, mechanical, signal, telecom and information technologies.
Increasing by nearly 900 the number of installed PTC route miles, bringing the total number of route miles in PTC operations to 10,899, or 64 percent.
Union Pacific continues to make strides implementing positive train control (PTC). The company anticipates it will meet all required deadlines for installing PTC on its network. As allowed by federal law, Union Pacific will continue to implement, test and refine the complex suite of technologies comprising the system in 2019-20.
Union Pacific's PTC footprint is the largest of all North American railroads, encompassing more than 17,000 route miles, roughly one-third of all PTC miles and 45 percent more than the next largest railroad. Union Pacific is in regular contact with the Federal Railroad Administration officials regarding its PTC progress.
Installing and implementing PTC across the U.S. rail network, including passenger and freight, is costly and complex. One of the most challenging parts of PTC implementation is ensuring system interoperability among all U.S. rail lines and locomotives. Given the various readiness levels of North American freight and passenger railroads, it is important that all railroads continue working together to maintain the health, safety, resiliency, and fluidity of the rail network as PTC is implemented.
Union Pacific's first quarter 2018 accomplishments included:
Preparing 8 additional track segments for PTC operations, bringing the total number of track segments to 176, or 97 percent complete. These track segments are equipped with wayside devices such as signals, switches and radios and have defined GPS coordinates, which identify thousands of precise locations for system wide PTC coordination.
Educating more than 3,300 additional employees on PTC operations, bringing the total number of employees trained to about 22,690, or 88 percent. Training materials are tailored to a variety of employee roles, including engineer, conductor, dispatcher, maintenance of way/engineering, mechanical, signal, telecom and information technologies.
Increasing by nearly 900 the number of installed PTC route miles, bringing the total number of route miles in PTC operations to 10,899, or 64 percent.