Pushing Forward PTC: Railroads and Suppliers Have Picked Up the Pace in Deploying Next-Generation Train Control

This article looks at next-generation train control systems and how their deployment is being pushed forward as a result of recent rulemaking by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). It is anticipated that by the end of 2007, a number of railroads will have initiated fully functional Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. The article relates that while these systems are varied both in approach and scope, the focus will be on train control, safety enforcement, and the human machine interaction. An overview is given of the some of the different systems being considered by the railroads. These include: Norfolk Southern's Optimized Train Control (OTC) and Unified Traffic Control System (UTCS), Alaska Railroad's Collision Avoidance System (CAS), Amtrak's Incremental Train Control System (ITCS), and BNSF's Electronic Train Management System (ETMS).