APTA applauds commuter rail industry's PTC milestone; eyes challenges associated with interoperability
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) recognized the extraordinary efforts commuter rail systems took last year to meet the installation milestones required by the end of 2018 for positive train control (PTC). The association also reiterated that all commuter railroads are fully committed to completely implementing the safety technology.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a statement on Dec. 31, 2018, that said all railroads, including 30 commuter railroads, had either fully implemented or met statutory criteria to qualify for a Dec. 31, 2020, deadline for full PTC implementation. For perspective, FRA considered five commuter and intercity railroads at risk of missing the statutory deadline following the release of Quarter 3 2018 PTC progress in late November 2018. FRA's New Year's Eve statement said four railroads had fully implemented the technology of which three are commuter railroads and include the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH), North County Transit District and Metrolink.
“Installing and implementing PTC is an unparalleled technical challenge in scale, complexity and time required,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “The commuter railroad industry has made extraordinary efforts to meet the 2018 deadline and will continue their focus and hard work to complete full implementation before or by December 2020.”
APTA says the commuter rail industry's success has come despite many technological challenges, which include a limited number of PTC-qualified vendors simultaneously in demand by both the passenger and freight railroads; diagnosing and resolving software issues; securing adequate access to track and locomotives for installation and testing; and achieving interoperability, as commuter rail systems operate in mixed traffic with other freight and passenger railroads.
APTA explains that one of the biggest challenges railroads will face in the next two years is interoperability.
"Commuter rail systems will need to ensure that their PTC implementation is seamlessly operational for both host and tenant operators. This will require thorough communication and coordination between the various host and tenant railroads," the association noted.
Cost has been another hurdle. APTA estimates full implementation of PTC is estimated to cost more than $4 billion on top of the existing $90 billion state of good repair backlog faced by the commuter rail industry. The $4 billion price tag does not include operating and maintenance costs of PTC that can run up to $130 million annually.
In 2018, FRA was allocated $250 million for PTC grants. It awarded more than $200 million in August and another $46 million in December.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
