Association of American Railroads1 04/10/2023

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADSAND

POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RAILROAD, APTA, FRA, NTSB AREMA and the AAR?

There are several different, yet interrelated organizations which provide a myriad of different “services” to the railroad industry.• Standards, specifications and recommended practices• Established and enforces regulations regarding train speeds, track,

signals, grade crossings, inspection• Provides fines for non-compliance• Maintains interchange data for all railroads, notifies railroads about

non-compliant cars• Investigates accidents, makes safety recommendations• Technical recommendations and standard plans for railroads• Serves as the advocacy organization for the freight rail industry• Talent base is comprised of active railroad managers

A RAILROAD

Mission• Provide safe and efficient transportation at a reasonable cost• Develop customers• Service on-line industry• Interchange with other railroads• Works with stakeholders to develop economic growth• Develops their own standards and recommended practices or

uses the industry recommended practices• Volunteer to serve on AAR and AREMA Committees• Make money

AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ADMINISTRATION

Vision StatementAPTA is the leading force in advancing public transportation.

Mission StatementTo strengthen and improve public transportation, APTA serves and leads its diverse membership through advocacy, innovation and information sharing. APTA and its members and staff work to ensure that public transportation is available and accessible for all Americans in communities across the country.

FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION

The purpose of FRA is to: • promulgate and enforce rail safety regulations; • administer railroad assistance programs; • conduct research and development in support of improved railroad

safety and national rail transportation policy; • provide for the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger

service; and • consolidate government support of rail transportation activities.

Headquarters in Washington, DC with offices throughout the US Part of the US Department of Transportation

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD

Charged with:• investigating every civil aviation accident the United States and significant

accidents in other modes of transportation– Railroad– Highway– Marine – Pipeline

The NTSB determines the probable cause of the accidents and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents.

Headquartered in Washington, DC with offices throughout the USIndependent Federal Agency

AMERICAN RAILWAY ENGINEERING ANDMAINTENANCE-OF-WAY ASSOCIATION

AREMA Mission• The development and advancement of both technical and

practical knowledge and recommended practices pertaining to the design, construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure.

• Volumes of Recommended Practices• Portfolio of Standard Plans

Technical committees comprised of the entire railroad industry – railroad managers, suppliers, consultants.

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADSIndependent Trade Association – Not Associated with the GovernmentOur customers are the seven Class 1 railroads, Amtrak, and over 200 smaller freight railroads and commuter railroads• Work with elected officials and leaders in Washington, D.C. on

critical transportation and related issues• Ensures that the freight rail industry will continue to meet

America’s transportation needs today and tomorrow.• The standard setting organization for North America's

railroads for rolling stock (freight cars and locomotives), technology and network operations

• Focused on improving the safety and productivity of rail transportation through our own initiatives in cooperation with the FRA and other associations.

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS• Advance these goals through its two subsidiaries, the

Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI) and the Railinc Corp. TTCI is the world's leading research, development and testing facility, and develops next-generation advancements in safety and operation efficiency. Railinc serves as the rail industry’s leading resource for rail data, information technology and information services, and uses one of the world's largest data networks to track customer shipments.

• AAR also supports the Railroad Research Foundation (RRF), a world-class policy research organization dedicated to sustaining a safe, secure and technologically advanced rail network.

WHAT IS POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL (PTC)?

It is an automated, highly complex system which provides the following features:A communication-based system of functional requirements for monitoring and controlling train movements to provide increased safety.

– Prevent train-to-train collisions• Overtake, Head-on, Converging

– Prevents trains exceeding speed limits• Permanent speed limits

– Train type, track geometry (curve, turnout)• Temporary speed limit

– Maintenance of Way slow order restriction or stop board– Prevents incursions into a maintenance work zone– Grade crossing pre-start and health monitoring ***

PTC SYSTEM OVERVIEW

• Overlay train control system to the freight railroad’s existing signal systems

• Designed to:• Prevent train-to-train collisions• Over-speed protection• Civil speed enforcement• Roadway Worker Protection with Temporary Speed Restrictions

applied at the Work Zone• Unique braking algorithms for freight and passenger with

appropriate safety factors based on the worst-case braking scenarios

• GPS based signal system. I-ETMS does not use transponders

INTEROPERABLE – ELECTRONIC TRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (I-ETMS)

OFFICE SYSTEMS

• Back office server – train dispatch centers• Authentication systems must verify users• Interface and numerous enhancements to the train

dispatching system• Security application for message integrity• Interoperable train control messaging system• 220 MHz data radio for base station communication• Communication switching network for interoperable back

office communications

WAYSIDE SYSTEMS

• Switch position monitors (Turnouts)• Integrated and stand-alone Wayside Interface Units

(WIU)• Wayside database contains over 200 characteristics

of track and trackside assets• 220 MHz data radio for switch and signal

communication

LOCOMOTIVE SYSTEMS

• Train Management Computer, interactive display • Interoperable electronic train management system

software• 220 MHz data radio for locomotive PTC

communication• Onboard Systems:• Computer Display Units (CDU)• GPS sensors• Crash hardened memory module• Antenna array for all PTC data transmissions

LOCOMOTIVE EQUIPMENT

TRAIN MANAGEMENT COMPUTER

IN CAB ELECTRONICS ARRAY

THE LOCOMOTIVE

• FRA – “All members of the crew have an unobstructed view of the screen”

• Locomotive Interface Gateway (LIG) provides integration of PTC functionally into over 30 different existing locomotive configurations – developed through RRF

• 18,000 locomotive to be removed from service and shopped installation – at least twice

• 4,000 installations have been started (22%)• 1,700 miles of wires and cables

LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER’S CONSOLE

CAB DISPLAY UNIT

PTC LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER’S DISPLAY

RADIO SPECTRUM ANALYSIS

HOW COMPLEX IS PTC?

• It is the most expensive and technically complex initiative in railroad history.

• 75% of all locomotives will be equipped – 12,700 locomotives• 1,700 miles of new locomotive wiring to be installed• 96,000 miles of railroad tracks must be equipped with PTC

and have GPS mapping of 500,000 wayside elements• 50,000 wayside units will be installed• 150,000 - 75% of all railroad employees must receive training• $8 Billion initiative – internally funded by each of the freight

railroads (commuter railroads are receiving government funding)

NOW THE HARD PART

• PTC is a “new” technology • New nationwide standards are being developed• The freight application is well underway• Locomotives are having equipment installed• Thousands of wayside signal system appliances have been installed• Train dispatching computer systems are being modified• Normally, each railroad can “do their own thing”• Locomotives must be fully capable of operating on their own

railroad and on everyone else’s railroad – “Interoperability”• Commuter railroads operate over freight railroad tracks• Configuration management of software and hardware will be a

monumental task.

THE SCHEDULE

• Each railroad is working diligently to install their own PTC systems• Railroads have had to retain specialized employees and have hired

thousands of new employees and contractors to assist• Manufacturing of wayside, locomotive and back office equipment is

proceeding to support installation• Each locomotive, wayside installation and back office needs to have

a completely new communications system and supporting infrastructure – developed from scratch

This must be completed, by law, by December 31, 2015.This is an unfunded mandate – find your own money and get it done.

SUMMARY - TECHNICAL

• The best and the brightest • Thousands of employees and support from

manufacturers and consultants• Extremely complex initiative• Simultaneous undertaking by the entire railroad industry• Involvement of all major railroads, commuter rail

authorities and some smaller railroads• $ Billions of railroad funded investment

SUMMARY - TALENT

• The railroads need talented people.– Class 1 freight railroads– Regional railroads– Short line and terminal companies– Commuter rail agencies– Amtrak

• Encourage undergrads and graduate students to explore a myriad of technically and financially challenging opportunities in the railroad industry.

• These are good jobs. They pay well – have great benefits – and you will be exposed to, and experience, more things in many diverse areas then you ever thought possible.

Association of American Railroads 3304/10/2023

Contact Information

R. A. KollmarExecutive Director – Engineering, Communications and Train Control425 Third StreetSuite 1000Washington, DC 20024(202) 639-2142rkollmar@aar.org !!! (the best way)