The rail industry should do more to leverage the safety benefits of positive train control (PTC), says the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a recent report about how to incorporate new technologies into existing PTC initiatives.
PTC is a safety technology that the U.S. government mandated the Class I railroads and some passenger railroads implement as a means to prevent train collisions and derailments caused by speeding. The technology uses GPS-based systems to track the distance between trains.
Although the implementation of PTC is “a safety win,” according to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, the death rate from accidents involving the railroads has not yet reached zero, “which means there’s more we can and must do to strengthen safety.”
In NTSB’s report, made available last week, the federal agency found areas where the railroads and the Federal Railroad Administration can maximize PTC technology by developing new technology that can enhance existing PTC capabilities.
This includes developing technologies that can reliably identify and locate the end of a train and relay that information to other trains to prevent collisions during restricted speed operations; deploying technologies that prevent end-of-track collisions in terminals or mitigate their severity; and using PTC technology to improve communication and enforcement of working limits because of workers’ ability to access PTC technology through devices such as tablet computers. NTSB defines working limits as “defined segments of track upon which trains may move only as authorized by a roadway worker with control over that segment.”
NTSB said it recommends that FRA complete and publish the results of current research into new PTC technology, as well as develop a plan to implement promising technologies. FRA should also compel the railroads to “to adopt engineering controls that automatically return PTC to the active mode following switching operations and … adopt engineering controls that eliminate the risk of miscommunication between dispatchers and roadway workers in charge regarding established working limits and PTC protection.”
Another NTSB recommendation is for the industry to work toward eliminating exemptions to PTC installation at passenger terminals since PTC technologies will have been developed to prevent or mitigate end-of-track collisions at terminals.
“This report outlines concrete steps to save lives because part of our mission is to ensure regulators continually raise the bar on safety, and that includes evaluating the lifesaving potential of new and emerging technologies,” Homendy said in a release about the report.
FRA said it is reviewing NTSB’s report.
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