FRA Greenlights NJT PTC RSD

NJT met the FRA’s interim Dec. 31, 2018 PTC deadline by completing installation of onboard equipment on 282 locomotives and cab cars.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has approved New Jersey Transit to begin Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) of its Positive Train Control (PTC) system, “moving NJT one step closer to meeting the federally mandated deadline of PTC certification by Dec. 31, 2020,” the agency announced Feb. 18.

NJT will initiate the RSD on the Morristown Line between Summit and Denville, N.J. Previously, field testing has been conducted on non-revenue trains that did not carry customers. NJT’s existing Automatic Train Control (ATC) sytem will remain active and will not be affected by the testing, the agency said, adding that it “continues to conduct and expand its non-revenue testing on its other rail lines and is working collaboratively with Amtrak and freight operators to ensure interoperability of all PTC systems.”

NJT met the FRA’s interim Dec. 31, 2018 PTC deadline by completing installation of onboard equipment on 282 locomotives and cab cars, equipping 326 miles of right-of-way with wayside infrastructure such as communications antennas and transponders, and training 1,745 employees.

“Entering the RSD phase of PTC is a major milestone and a testament to the incredible work by our employees working around the clock with our contractors to ensure this important safety technology implementation remains on schedule,” said NJT President and CEO Kevin Corbett. “Two years ago, we had just 10 months to take the project from only 12% to 100% complete toward the Dec. 31, 2018 federally mandated interim milestone for installation. We were successful. With this announcement, and the continued support from the FRA, I’m confident we will meet the Dec. 31, 2020 federal deadline for full PTC implementation.”