Parsons awarded Metra PTC contract
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
Metra, Chicago’s commuter rail operator, has awarded Parsons a contract to install Positive Train Control (PTC) technology on its commuter rail lines.
“This contract is Metra’s biggest expenditure to date for installing PTC,” said Parsons. As prime contractor, Parsons will work with Metra to install IETMS® (Interoperable Electronic Train Management System, supplied by Wabtec Railway Electronics) that will be interoperable with the 12 railroads that operate in the greater Chicago region, “integrating the complex system of locomotive-mounted GPS (Global Positioning System) devices, radios, trackside antennas and computers. The Federal Railroad Administration has recognized that Chicago is the most complicated application of PTC in the country.”
“The Metra board has recognized Parsons as the leader in PTC in the United States with the award of this contract,” said Parsons Group President Todd Wager. “PTC will significantly improve safety for Chicago’s traveling public and we’re proud to be contributing to this important endeavor.”
PTC, which is federally mandated under the RSIA (Rail Safety Improvement Act) of 2008, is“high-tech collision-avoidance technology that monitors and controls train movements. It is intended to prevent train-to-train collisions, overspeed derailments, incursions into established work zones, and movement of trains through a main line switch left in an improper position. “Parsons is a primary system integrator in the U.S. commuter rail market, helping a variety of customers including Metrolink, Caltrain, Amtrak, and New Jersey Transit meet the mandatory PTC system requirements of the RSIA,” noted Wager. “Parsons has more than 60 years of experience working with all of the key vendors and suppliers of safety-critical and vital systems for railroads and transit systems.”
