RailComm completes SEPTA installation

Fairport, N.Y.-based RailComm said it has "completed the installation of an advanced remote switch and third-rail heater control system for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority [SEPTA]."

The switch and third-rail heaters are being controlled via RailComm’s DOC® System, with communications being handled with a combination of RADiANT® serial radios, cellular modems, and a fiber network along SEPTA lines, RailComm said.

Through the DOC’s graphical user interface (GUI), authorized users are able to control the operation of all remotely equipped switch and third rail heaters, as well as monitor the operation of the element. When heating elements present a failed condition, the system alarms the dispatch er so action can be taken before it affects train movement, RailComm said.

Remotely controlled heating elements allow SEPTA to only run the heaters when absolutely necessary, reducing energy use and related costs, and also reducing “the time railroad employees must spend along the track,” the company added.