The Capital Metro board of directors has approved a contract with Modern Railway Systems Inc. to design, build and commission the automatic safety train control system, Positive Train Control (PTC). The board also approved an amendment to Capital Metro’s contract with freight operator WATCO, which would allow the company to utilize a currently dormant Capital Metro-owned segment of track between Elgin and Giddings.
Capital Metro’s commuter rail system is regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration which, in response to Congress, mandated that all commuter rail systems install a PTC system by December 31, 2018. PTC systems are designed to prevent derailments or train-to-train collisions, and to ensure trains are not guided onto the wrong track due to a switch being left in the wrong position.
The approved contract allows Modern Railway Systems to complete a portion of the work within 15 months, which will make the agency eligible to apply for a two-year extension to the December 2018 PTC deadline to complete the rest of the system
The board also approved a contract modification with the agency’s freight operator, WATCO, to expand freight service along a currently dormant 23-mile stretch of Capital Metro’s track between Elgin and Giddings. WATCO will operate and maintain the new segment and provide Capital Metro with a portion of the gross revenue generated, projected to bring the agency $13 million over the contract period.
Capital Metro will conduct community outreach to area residents, businesses and other stakeholders prior to the opening of the line, including providing information to schoolchildren from the Operation Lifesaver national train safety program.
Freight trains are expected to run once a day, with service estimated to start during the first quarter of 2018. The WATCO proposal states that small rocks, known as aggregate, would be the primary product transported. Capital Metro owns 162 miles of railroad track between Llano and Giddings.
In other recent news, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization reappointed Wade Cooper to another three-year term on the Capital Metro board of directors. Cooper, who is the managing partner at law firm Jackson Walker L.L.P., has been on the board for three years and has served as chair for the past two. During his time on the board, Cooper played an integral role in the final negotiations of the Plaza Saltillo redevelopment agreement and major planning initiatives such as Connections 2025 and Project Connect.
Capital Metro has also opened 85 new parking spaces at the Howard Lane Park & Ride, which is served by MetroRail, and Local Routes 50–Round Rock/Howard Station and 243–Wells Branch. The addition brings the total number of spaces at the facility to 301.
