Network-Centric Railway Operations

Utilizing Intelligent Railway Systems

Steve Ditmeyer

SCORT/TRB

Rail Capacity Workshop

Jacksonville, FloridaSeptember 22, 2010

Network Centric WarfareUse integrated digital data communications, GPS

positioning, sensors, and computers to obtain:• Increased operational flexibility• Increased decision-making speed• Cost savings due to improved asset utilization• Improved support to dispersed elements• Increased visibility and better understanding of ops• Self-synchronization of subordinate organizations• Benefits resulting from increased connectivity

Department of Defense Command and Control Research Program www.dodccrp.org

Asst. Secy. of Defense for Networks and Information Integration

Strategic Information

“We must view information as a strategic asset.

Timely, accurate, and trusted informationlies at the heart of network-centric

operations.”

– John G. Grimes, DoD CIO

Next Generation Air Traffic Control

FAA is transitioning:• “from ground based radar to satellite-based

navigation and surveillance, • from analog voice communications to digital data

exchange, and, most significant,• from disconnected and incompatible information

systems to a scalable, network-centric architecture. This will ensure that everyone using the system has easy access to the same information at the same time, when needed.”

Network Centric Railway Operations and Intelligent Railway Systems

Use the same technologies found in:• Network-centric warfare• Next Generation air traffic control systems• Intelligent Transportation Systems for highways and

transit• Maritime vessel tracking systems• Parcel delivery services (UPS, FedEx, DHL)• Emergency response services (police, fire, medical)

Network Centric Railway Operationsand Intelligent Railway Systems

Use integrated digital data communications, positioning systems, sensors, and computers on railways to:– Improve both safety and security– Raise effective capacity– Improve asset utilization – Improve customer satisfaction– Measure and control costs– Reduce energy consumption and emissions – Increase economic viability and profits– “Manage the unexpected”

What Railway Managers Need to Know

• Where mobile assets* were (for billing, payments, and analysis)• Where mobile assets are and what they are doing, in real time• Real-time status of fixed assets**• Where mobile assets will be at time t1 in the future

• Where mobile assets need to be at time t2 in the future

• How best to get the mobile assets from where they are and

will be to where they need to be• That the correct instructions are being conveyed to the right crews

and vehicles, and that the instructions are being obeyed

* Trains, locomotives, cars, crews, maintenance equipment

** Track, bridges, tunnels, switches, terminals

Network-Centric Railway Operations Utilizing Intelligent Railway Systems

• Architecture• Prerequisite systems for PTC• Positive Train Control (PTC)• Systems directly related to PTC• Other control center systems• Other train-borne systems• Other infrastructure-based

systems• Law and regulations• Impediments to implementation• Implementation recommendations• Summary

NCW

Locomotives

Shipment Reservations

FREIGHT SHIPPERS

Train, Locomotive, Car & Crew Scheduling

Customer Information

and Reservations

Tactical and Strategic Traffic

Planners

Locomotive Maintenance

Facilities

Track Maintenance

Facilities

Train Control Centers

Operating Data

Systems

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT CENTERS

Railway Backbone Communications Network - microwave, fiber optic, copper cable, leased circuits

Traveler Information and Reservations

PASSENGERS

Commercial Cellular or Satellite

Communications

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Weather Sensors

Grade Crossings

Automatic Equipment

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Differential GPS

Defect Detectors

TRACKSIDE

End-of-Train Devices

Roadway Workers

TRAINS & MAINTENANCE CREWS

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FacilitiesShipment Information

NETWORK CENTRIC RAILWAY OPERATIONS

Prerequisite Systems forPositive Train Control

• Digital data link communications networks• GPS and Differential GPS (DGPS)• Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI)

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Digital Data Link Communications

• The key enabler of network-centric railway operations• Can use any communications medium as a backbone:

microwave, fiber optic cable, copper wire, cell phones, satellite communications

• Current analog mobile radios used by train crews and roadway workers need to be replaced with digital mobile radios

• Permits discretely addressed messages to individuals or multiple parties; not broadcast

• FCC has provided 181 VHF and 12 UHF frequencies for railway mobile radio

Why Switch from Voice Radio to Digital Data Link?

• Limited communications channels between dispatcher and field

• Congestion• Exchange of information not timely• Erroneous information not stopped• Train collisions caused by communications mistakes• Dispatchers, train and MOW crews, safety officials believe

poor communications contributes to accidents

Global Positioning SystemGPS

GPS NominalConstellation:

• 24 satellites in 6 orbital planes• 4 satellites in each plane• Altitude 20,200 km• Inclination 55 degrees

Differential GPS

• GPS satellite constellation provides 10 m accuracy• DGPS is an augmentation of GPS providing 1-to-2

meter positioning accuracy• DGPS monitors GPS integrity; users receive warning

of GPS degradation within 5 seconds• Currently operational with single coverage over 90%

of continental US and double coverage over 45%• DGPS signals available to anyone with proper

receiver; no user fee• Managed and monitored 24/7 at USCG Navigation

Center, Alexandria, VA

Differential GPS

• Uses decommissioned USAF Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN) sites to send out correction signals

• International standard (RTCM 104) developed by US Coast Guard; used in 40 countries

• Joint project with FRA, USCG, FHWA, OST, USACE, TVA, states, and others

• Date for Full Operational Capability with double coverage uncertain due to funding limitations

• High-Accuracy DGPS (HA-DGPS) developed and tested by FHWA and USCG at Hagerstown, MD site: 10-20 cm accuracy

Differential GPS Coverage

Source: 2008 Federal Radionavigation Plan

Worldwide DGPS Coverage

Automatic Equipment Identification

• Two passive AEI (ie., RFID) tags installed on each North American freight car and locomotive since 1995; AAR Interchange Rule, no government involvement

• Readers at track-side interrogate tags at 900 MHz radio frequency; the readers require periodic “tuning” to maintain 100% read rate

• Tags respond with vehicle initial and number• Can be integrated with wayside equipment sensors to

identify specific freight cars with problems• Active tags with read-write capability also available, but

require periodic battery replacement• Provides accurate confirmation of train consists to PTC

computers

AEI Tag and Reader

AEI Tags for Containers and Trailers

• ISO has adopted the same tag for international shipping containers as a voluntary standard

• The US railway AEI standard was based on the draft ISO container tag standard

• ATA has adopted the same tag for US road truck trailers and chassis as a voluntary standard

• It would be ideal if container and trailer tagging standards became mandatory industry standards as with rail freight cars

Positive Train Control (PTC) Components

• Along the wayside- Digital data radios and backbone communications network- Wayside interface units at switches and detectors

• On locomotives and roadway maintenance vehicles- Digital mobile radios (data and voice)- On-board computer with digital maps (maps made by

surveying the track network with DGPS)- DGPS receivers- Throttle-brake interface- Integrated displays

• At the control center- Dispatching computer with displays- Digital communications terminals (data and voice)

PTC Positioning• Multiple inputs on train position are integrated:

– DGPS– Odometer– Switch position indicators – Digital track map in control center and on-

board computers• Train and roadway worker position is sent over the data

link to the control center; movement authorities are sent over the data link from the control center to trains and roadway workers

• Track centers are 4 m apart, which requires 1-2 m positioning accuracy (i.e., DGPS)

• Accurate positioning also needed at clearance points at switches

Positive Train Control

• Reduces probability of overspeed accidents and of train collisions and train-roadway worker collisions by a factor of 100

• Provides enhanced security through:- Monitoring location and speed of all trains- Monitoring all switches, bridges, tunnels, etc.- Only authorized persons can control trains- On-board enforcement of all movement

authorities- Remote intervention capability from control

center

Comparison of Train Control Systems

• Centralized Traffic Control (CTC)• Bought by the mile, installed along the track• Costs: 80% wayside, 20% control center• Stays in place along the track

• Positive Train Control (PTC)• Bought by the region, significant portion vehicle-borne• Costs: 40% vehicle-borne, 40% wayside, 20%

control center• Moves where the traffic moves• Cheaper than replacing and retaining existing signal systems, plus offers greater functionality

Capital vs. O&M costs for PTC

• An FRA report in March 2004 estimated the capital cost of PTC on all the US railroads would be $4.4 billion.

• FRA’s PTC NPRM in July 2009 estimated the capital cost of PTC to be $5 billion.– However, FRA also added $5 to 8 billion

(depending on interest rate) as the NPV of 20 years of PTC operations and maintenance. This is different from the capital cost!

Cost comparison – PTC vs. current signal systems

• Railroads currently spend for communications and signaling $564 million per year on capital and $500 million per year on maintenance.

• PTC spending would be in place of most of this, not in addition to it.

• It would take $9 billion to replace current CTC systems with modern ones, at a cost of $140,000 per mile. And that is on just 50% of the railroad network.

Why railroads say there are no business benefits from PTC

• One railroad (since merged out of existence) wrote to FRA saying that there could be no business benefits from PTC because, on that railroad, running time, running time reliability, and asset utilization were so good that there was no room for any improvement.

• If a railroad implements PTC using the track block occupancy paradigm, it will not get the business benefits.

Business benefits can be achieved with Network-Centric Systems

• Previous train control systems - DTC, TWC, ABS, CTC, ATS, ATC - all function on the principle of track block occupancy, and the signal systems then use relay logic to determine what authority can be granted to a train.

• PTC, on the other hand, functions with a totally different paradigm: real-time, precise, continuous information about the location and speed of trains and maintenance vehicles, and the principle that no two things can occupy the same space at the same time.

• As a result, PTC can support improved meet-pass planning, closer spacing between trains, and greater awareness of “windows” for maintenance and inspection.

How PTC Permits More Efficient Train Meets

Accurate projections of train location reveal opportunities to reduce meet/pass delays.

How PTC Permits More Efficient Train Passes

The ability to operate with short headways can reduce meet/pass delays.

Systems Directly Related to PTC

• PTC displays - dispatcher and cab• Track forces terminals• Wayside track sensors• Locomotive health monitoring systems• Energy management systems• Work order reporting systems

• Tactical traffic planners• Strategic traffic planners• Crew registration and time keeping systems• Intelligent weather systems• Emergency notification systems

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Control Center DisplaysControl center displays will provide dispatchers

with: • Precise location and speed information on

each train and maintenance vehicle• Ability to efficiently issue movement authorities• Performance of trains against schedule• Tactical and strategic traffic plans• Health status of locomotives and cars• Interface for crisp and informed

tactical decisions• Status of on-board and wayside systems

How PTC Control Centers Help Dispatchers

• Reduce dispatchers’ communication load• Improve dispatchers’ communication efficiency

and speed• Increase dispatchers’ communication precision• Radically change dispatchers’ communication

focus:– Traffic planning and problem solving replace

information gathering and movement authorization as dispatchers’ primary tasks

Locomotive Cab DisplaysCoordinated displays of relevant information to train

crews in both graphical and textual formats:• Train position and speed• Current movement authority• Current and upcoming route profile• Train consist, with special handling instructions • In-train forces• Actual and recommended throttle and brake

settings • Locomotive and car health • Set-out and pick-up instructions

Locomotive Cab Displays

Locomotive Cab Displays

Locomotive Cab Displays

Locomotive Cab Displays

Track Forces Terminals• Provide the interface for communications to and

from roadway workers• Can be laptop computers or PDAs• Enable crews to determine future track occupancy

and to request “track and time” from dispatcher• Display current movement authority• Enable crews to place slow orders and to transmit

administrative data• Should greatly improve productivity of roadway

workers by eliminating uncertainty of track availability

Wayside Track Sensors

• Track sensors detect conditions/anomalies that occur on or alongside the track

• Information is transmitted over the data link to train and track crews and the control center for immediate action or logging for unscheduled maintenance

• Conditions detected include: switch position, broken rail, misaligned track, high water, rock and snow slides, excessive rail stress, misaligned bridges and trestles, blocked culverts, weather information

Locomotive Health Monitoring Systems

• Provide real-time and historical internal health monitoring data for engines, electrical systems, dynamic and air brake systems, hydraulic systems, exhaust systems, fuel tanks

• Transmit health data to locomotive cab, and over the data link to the control center, locomotive scheduling center, and locomotive shops

• Include event recorders• Allow collection of health data for maintenance-

based decision making• Improve reliability, availability, and utilization rate

of locomotives

Energy Management Systems

• Goal is to optimize fuel consumption and emissions

• Use train, locomotive health, track, and schedule information to determine best speed profile

• Provide guidance to locomotive engineers for best throttle settings

Work Order Reporting• Instructions sent from control center to train crews to

set out and pick up loaded and empty cars en route• On-board train consist updated automatically based

on crew acknowledgement of work order completed• Train consists in control center and central computer

data bases also updated in real time• Location of set-outs automatically recorded• Customers can be automatically notified of impending

or actual car placement• Important for establishing “custody chain” of

shipments

Tracking Hazmat and Other Shipments

• AEI confirms the locos and cars on each train and sends it to operating data system

• DGPS receiver determines location of the loco to within 1-2 meters and speed to within 1-2 km/hr and data radio transmits it back to dispatchers and operating data system

• Work order reporting system confirms set-outs and pick-ups and sends them to operating data system

• Data in train location, train consist, work order reporting, and waybill data bases can be merged to precisely locate every car/shipment

• Authorized parties (at railway and shipper) can inquire about precise car/shipment location

Tactical Traffic Planners

• Enable dispatchers to look ahead in time• Identify where trains should meet and pass, and

which trains should take sidings• Allow roadway workers to select best “windows”• Feedback provided by the PTC system will allow

replanning as necessary• Receive target times from the Strategic Traffic

Planner

Strategic Traffic Planners

• STPs can measure train movements against a set of externally-defined schedules

• Cost-minimizing decisions can be made on whether, and how, to adjust train priorities and schedules on a real-time basis

• Display the performance of trains against schedule and show the real-time location and future location of every train by type

• Federal Aviation Administration applies this philosophy to the management of air traffic

• System, rather than local, optimization is possible

Hierarchy of Rail TrafficFlow Control

Crew Registration and Time-Keeping Systems

• Use passwords, card keys, biometrics to identify crew members authorized to operate trains

• Movement authority issued only when designated crew is on board and logged in

• On and off duty times, and terminal departure and arrival times, automatically sent to operating data system for payroll accuracy [ Airline O-O-O-I systems]

Intelligent Weather Systems

• Combine data from railway weather sensors (wayside and on-board) and national, regional, and local forecast data to alert train control centers and train crews of actual or potential hazardous weather conditions

• Advanced warning for flooding, track washouts, fog, high winds, sudden freezes, snow, avalanches, mud, and rock slides

Emergency Notification System

• Automated reporting of railway incidents• Notification of all involved organizations• Coordination and control of organizations

involved• Information services for media and passengers• Registration and analysis of performance• Faster resolution of problems and resumption of

service

Other Control Center Systems

• Scheduling systems - locomotive, car, and train crew

• Yield management systems• Travelers advisory systems• Data archiving systems

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Scheduling Systems

• When trains run on schedule, scheduling of locomotives, cars, and crews is possible

• Locomotive and car scheduling permits better allocation of assets, less cross-hauling

• Car scheduling makes it possible for customers to make car reservations, and for railways to use yield management

• Crew scheduling permits predictable work hours and regular periods of sleep and recreation

Yield Management Systems• Enable railways to establish variable pricing

policies• Links price charged for a service to customer

demand• Requires data from car scheduling and car

reservation systems• Useful especially for intermodal and grain

traffic• All major airlines use yield management for

selling seats

Travelers Advisory Systems

• Used primarily by commuter railroads• GPS receivers and data radios on trains

provide real-time location• Train locations can be shown on web• ETAs of trains can be displayed at stations• Permits train performance record keeping• Can be free-standing or integrated with PTC

and the railway data link network

Data Archiving Systems

• Enable railways to capture and retain data generated by intelligent railway systems and make them available for analysis

• Permit the summarization of the huge amounts of fine-grained data generated

• Some railway lawyers are concerned about this capability

Other Train-Borne Systems

• Electronically-controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes

• Car on-board component sensors• Car on-board commodity sensors• Vehicle-borne track monitoring sensors• Vehicle-borne track lubrication systems• Passenger-train inventory management

and emergency notification systemsHome

Electronically-Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) Brakes

• Electronic initiation and release of brake applications

• Permits simultaneous application of all brakes on the train

• Shortens braking distance• Reduces in-train coupler forces and slack action• Wireline carries the electronic signals between

cars and locomotive• Enables data collection/monitoring of car

components and car contents(continued)

Electronically-Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) Brakes

(continued)• Shorter braking distance enables closer

headways and increased track capacity• Train running time is reduced and reliability is

increased• Wheel and brake shoe wear is reduced, cutting

cost of wheel and brake shoe replacement• Reduced in-train coupler forces and slack action

reduces damage to car components and commodities

• Safety of operations is enhanced

Freight Car On-board Component Sensors

• Sensors are mounted on rolling stock to identify and report a number of defects related to the cars

• Defects detected include: overheated bearings and wheels, impacts and vibrations from flat or derailed wheels, excessive bogie hunting, excessive longitudinal forces, braking system status

• Data is transmitted via the ECP braking system to the cab and then over the data link to the control center and freight car maintenance facilities

Freight Car On-board Commodity Sensors

• Sensors are being mounted on freight cars to monitor the status of the commodities being carried

• Status data includes temperature, pressures, load position, radiation, vibration

• Data transmitted via ECP braking system to cab and then over the data link to the control center, freight car maintenance facilities, and shippers

• Additional proprietary sensor and satellite or cellular communications packages are also in use for tracking and condition monitoring

Vehicle-Borne Track Monitoring Sensors

• Vehicle-mounted sensors to detect various defects or conditions which may require immediate crew attention

• Rail flaws, broken rail, misaligned track, track soft spots, corrugated rail, and excessive rail stress can be detected

• DGPS determines precise location of defects and conditions

• Data is presented in inspection coach or loco cab and transmitted over the data link to the control center and track maintenance crews

Vehicle-BorneTrack Lubrication Systems

• DGPS and digital track map determine precise locations at which vehicle-borne track lubrication systems are activated

• Result is significant reduction in train friction and train energy consumption

Passenger train inventory management and emergency

notification systems

• Transmit information on seat and compartment occupancy over the data link to passenger service management centers – enable Amtrak to sell space that would otherwise go unoccupied

• Enable food service personnel to request restocking of items in short supply

• In case of on-board emergencies, notification of the locomotive crew, control centers, and emergency responders can be carried out rapidly

Other Infrastructure-Based Systems

• Wayside equipment sensors• Intelligent grade crossings• Yard management systems• Security systems• Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems

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Wayside Equipment Sensors

• Equipment sensors detect anomalies of rolling stock components

• Data is transmitted over the data link to the locomotive cab, the control center, and freight car maintenance facilities

• Conditions detected include: overheated bearings and wheels, deteriorating bearings, cracked and flat wheels, derailed wheels, excessive truck hunting, dragging equipment, excessive lateral and vertical loads, skewed trucks, excessively high and wide loads

Intelligent Grade Crossings

• Establish communication between railway control systems and highway control centers and signal systems

• Train presence and arrival times can be communicated over the data link to highway traffic control centers and to motor vehicle operators via in-vehicle and/or wayside displays

• Stalled vehicle detection can alert trains• Second-train-on-approach warnings• Reduction in gate down times and traffic

congestion

Architecture of ITS User Service #30 - Highway-Rail Intersections

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Yard Management Systems

• The key link between movement of trains and movement of cars

• Receive real-time info on location and consist of each train on the system

• Keep track of all cars in the yards• Receive goals and objectives from STP• Schedule the time required for each yard

operation to be be performed• Supplies forecast of yard departure times to

the STP

Security Systems

• Closed-circuit television cameras• Infrared presence detectors• Deployed at yards, terminals, bridges,

tunnels, and on some locomotives, to provide detection of intruders and obstructions

• Appropriate information transmitted to train control centers, train crews, maintenance crews, and security forces

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems

• Monitor all wayside and on-board systems and report their status to control centers

• Enable appropriate level of dependency on each system to be determined

• Reduce requirements for field inspections

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Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008

By April 16, 2010, each Class I railroad and each entity providing intercity or commuter rail passenger service shall develop and submit to FRA a plan for implementing PTC by December 31, 2015, governing operations on--

–All main lines (ie., > 5 MGT) where passenger trains run–All main lines where hazardous material is carried–Other tracks specified by the Secy of Transportation

Can railroads meet the 2015 target date?

• Yes, if the moon, the stars, and the planets are all aligned perfectly.

Won’t Congress be upset if the railroads don’t meet the

2015 deadline?• I believe that if the railroads make a good faith

effort to meet the deadline, Congress won’t intervene.

• However, if railroads don’t show a commitment* soon to meeting the deadline, railroads will be facing the specter of reregulation sooner rather than later.

* commitment = hiring new staff and contractors and issuing purchase orders for PTC equipment

How FRA will Regulate PTC and Related Systems

• FRA adopted a performance-based approach for this rulemaking• Railroad must submit a Railroad Safety Program Plan to FRA

- Address safety hazards associated with operation of PTC and related systems, and describe its program for implementation of these systems

• Railroad and vendor must submit Product Safety Plan to FRA for approval 180 days prior to planned use

- Complete description of product including development, installation, implementation, operation,

maintenance, repair, inspection, testing, modification, and any other safety aspects

- Complete description of territory and operation where it will be

applied• Minimum performance standard: No worse than what is out there now

FRA says the Product Safety Plan must address:

• Training criteria for control center personnel, train crews, roadway workers

• Risk assessment criteria, in terms of Mean Time to Hazardous Event (MTTHE) and Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)

• Safety assurance criteria and processes• Independent review of verification and

validation processes• Human-Machine Interface (HMI) criteria

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Impediments to Implementation of Network Centric Railway Operations

• Magnitude of costs; competition for capital• Pressure by the investment community to deliver near-

term on investments• Shortage of capital – left over from railway mergers and

post-merger problems; need to invest in capacity• Time to implement: 7+ years• Lack of trained staff• Fear of liabilities; problems in saying rwys will be “safer”• Interoperability issues come into play – depending on

degree of independence of the railway companies• Fear of change, institutional and individual• Misuse of “80-20 rule”; 20% of the costs do NOT result in

80% of the benefits

More Impediments to Implementation of Network Centric

Railway Operations• Unwilling to view existing signaling systems as sunk costs• Uncertainty about customer response to improved service• US railways discount “soft” efficiency benefits heavily,

count only “hard” labor and fuel savings benefits• Some railways try to minimize cost of subsystems and not

optimize total system• Some railways are implementing free-standing and

independent systems, not integrated systems• Some railways want PTC based on existing operating

rules, not on new paradigm

Still More Impediments to Implementation of Network Centric Railway Operations

• Signaling community (signal maintainers, signal engineers, signal suppliers, signal consultants, signal regulators) tied to legacy systems

• Railway budgeting often calls for each department to justify its own projects

• Railways not organized for implementing NCRO; telecommunications and train control report to different department heads

• Availability of new information means that information flows must be changed

• Uncertainty about government regulations and regulators• Proposed separation of railways into infrastructure and

operating companies

Yet Even More Impediments to Implementation of Network Centric Railway Operations

• Railways are concerned about US military control of GPS; EU’s Galileo should help; DOD has promised to eliminate its capability to degrade GPS signals

• Senior railway managers got promoted by successfully managing downsizing and cost-cutting, not growth

• Railways wanted off-the-shelf systems, but didn’t give suppliers the commitment to enable them to put systems on-the-shelf

• Railways had said that business benefits of PTC were less than the costs, that current operations were so good there was little room for improvement

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Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits - Recommendation #1

• Implement integrated systems, rather than free-standing systems– The new digital telecommunications

systems have substantial capacity– Digital communications permits discretely

addressed messages to individuals or multiple parties

– Avoid using separate radios for each subsystem

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits -

Recommendation #2• Study information flows

– Provide each person with all the information he/she needs to do his/her job

– Provide each person with only the information he/she needs to do his/her job

– Make sure the information is intelligible– Decide which information to “push to”

users and which to have “pulled by” users– Consult the users

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits -

Recommendation #3• Security and information assurance must be

constant considerations– Data regarding trains, freight cars, crews, and

shipments must be kept confidential– Authentication of data will insure that the content

is genuine, unaltered, and complete– Unwarranted extraction of information from

communications network must be prevented– Encrypt data to keep it out of wrong hands

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits - Recommendation #4

• Backup and redundancy are important– Fault-tolerant system architecture– Dual-redundant components– Integrated architecture provides checks

and balances to limit the impact and propagation of human errors

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits -

Recommendation #5• Don’t underestimate the inertia of legacy

systems– PTC offers a new paradigm– Net-centric systems provide real-time information– Operating rules must be changed; don’t saddle

PTC with old rules that were based on delayed information flows

– Legacy systems must be written off as “sunk costs”

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits -

Recommendation #6• Technological change will affect companies in

unforeseen ways; choices have to be made in intellectual capital, financial capital, and process– Additional staff with proper skills will need to be hired and

trained– Reallocation of capital needed to implement PTC and net-

centric systems– PTC and net-centric systems will generate capital for

investment in infrastructure and rolling stock– Budgeting processes must be modernized; “soft dollar”

benefits included, not just “hard”– Don’t optimize subsystems - optimize total system

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits - Recommendation #7

• Be aware that net-centric operations will affect your organization’s culture– Only with changes in the way an organization

does business can it fully leverage the power of information

– Information flows will be different; some in the organization will feel threatened

– Telecommunications and train control staffs need extremely close working relationship

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits - Recommendation #8

• Make sure the implementation team represents all affected departments– The team members must coordinate project

activities with their home departments– The team members must coordinate project

activities with their counterparts at their supplier/contractor

– The team members must coordinate project activities with each other

– Do not try to minimize the size of the team

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits -

Recommendation #9• Recognize that net-centric operations are not

a panacea; they may encourage micromanagement– Use information to improve performance of the

railway, not to monitor the performance of individuals

– Net-centric systems enable both “reach back” and “reach forward” for information. There must be a balance between centralized planning and local execution.

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits - Recommendation #10

• Choose top leaders well– “Leaders Count”– The top leaders must understand the

technology, establish the proper environment for its deployment, and provide proper incentives

– The top leaders must elevate the project implementation team in the hierarchy and talk with the team regularly

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits -

Recommendation #11• An implementation strategy must be

established early– Top leadership and project implementation

team must jointly set it– Are you going to implement a “safety-only”

system, or a system that encompasses safety, efficiency, and service?

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits -

Recommendation #12• Communicating is important!

– The implementation strategy must be communicated throughout the railroad to all departments

– Suppliers and customers need to be informed– Consult early and often with your unions; they are

the folks who will install, operate, and maintain the systems. They are key to success.

Achieving Long-Term PTC Benefits -

Recommendation #13• Maintain realistic expectations, and be

patient– Net-centric systems are governed by Metcalfe’s

Law, which asserts that the power of a network is proportional to the square of the number of nodes in the network

– But … Metcalfe’s Law is really about potential gains; there is no guarantee that simply hooking things up will make the results better

– Thinking, planning, and organizing are essential!

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Summary

• A new era is upon us• Railroads have the opportunity to maximize the

benefits from their investments • Network-centric operations are the way of the

future in many different organizations; a “system of systems”

• Learn from successes and failures of other users

• Improved railroad safety, security, efficiency, and profitability are all achievable with network centric railway operations and intelligent railway systems

“Net-enabled operations, while clearly complex, can actually

be described quite simply.

It is all about ensuring timely and accurate information gets

where it’s needed, when it’s needed,

and to those who need it most.”

– John G. Grimes, DoD CIO

Questions ?

Prof. Steve DitmeyerRailway Management ProgramMichigan State Universitywww.raileducation.com

Phone: 703-768-5540Cell phone: 703-980-0073Email: srdit@aol.com

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