The delivery of safe and reliable rail transportation is largely dependent upon the knowledge and proficiency of the employees assigned to the task. It is particularly important for all operating employees to be adequately familiar with the physical characteristics of the routes and territories they work. This applies to passenger and freight railroads, as well as to rail transit.
In light of recent accidents (and accident investigations) where inadequate route familiarization is suspect, the way the industry prepares its train operators or engineers is critical. PTSI Transportation has developed an enhanced physical characteristics training tool. This multi-media system is called the Route Learning System. It is a simple, low-tech and cost effective way to provide more in the way of route familiarization training in a classroom or home study setting. It is not meant to replace direct field observations, but to reinforce and supplement them in a highly structured way.
The digital Route Learning System, recently installed on the NJ Transit Newark Light Rail system, supplants earlier versions, which have been installed on Caltrain, the Belt Railway Company of Chicago, and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. All use a combination of highly detailed track and physical characteristics charts and a companion annotated, narrated video shot from the cab.
