New Jersey Transit and Metra have been awarded $8.5 million in federal grants to further advance work toward implementing Positive Train Control (PTC), a safety overlay system that can help in the prevention of certain train-to-train and overspeed accidents.
The $6.5 million awarded to NJ Transit came from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). NJ Transit recently completed 100 percent of the criteria required by the FRA for PTC installation to meet the end of the year statutory deadline.
“NJ Transit can finish the job by installing all the equipment, ensuring that the hardware is running well and training their employees to use it. This grant award will help NJ Transit get to the finish line,” said U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ-8).
FRA had $250 million specifically appropriated for PTC grants through the CRISI program. In late August, it awarded $203 million in available funds to 28 projects. NJ Transit was not awarded funds in August, a notable fact because, at the time, it was one of a handful of railroads considered “at-risk” of missing the end of year statutory deadline. With the work NJ Transit has accomplished thus far toward PTC installation, it is no long “at-risk” can qualify for an alternative schedule with the FRA, which would move the deadline to implement PTC to Dec. 31, 2020.
Metra will receive slightly more than $2 million that will support the purchase of onboard hardware to be installed on newly purchased locomotives. Metra also received nearly $23 million from a CRISI grant awarded in August, but the railroad estimates the implementation of the technology will cost between $350 million and $400 million. Metra celebrated the completion of hardware installation, both wayside and onboard, required for PTC implementation this past September.
