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A look at Positive Train Control with BNSF |
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December 28, 2017 |
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Courtesy of Inside Track
BNSF Railway
There has been an ongoing conversation about
Positive Train Control (PTC) in Idaho and
elsewhere around the country. At BNSF Railway,
we have been a leader in implementing PTC and
the company began developing PTC well before
Congress mandated it. It's a system in use on
BNSF trains passing through Bonners Ferry.
We are fully committed to implementing PTC as
nothing is more important to us than safely
operating through the communities that we serve.
PTC serves as an important component of our
already very robust safety program.
BNSF has moved with urgency to implement PTC and
has continued to move forward as fast as
practicably possible. PTC is one of the most
complex systems ever implemented by the railroad
industry that has been built and refined as it
has been installed.
During installation, there have been numerous
technological challenges and we have overcome
those as we have discovered them. We are
committed to implementing PTC as soon as
possible, but we want to make sure it is done
right.
PTC is technology that overlays existing train
hardware and software, designed to stop trains
before certain types of accidents occur.
PTC will help prevent train-to-train collisions,
enforce speed limits, protect roadway employees
and equipment and prevent the movement of a
train through a switch in the incorrect
position.
Essentially, PTC uses GPS, Wi-Fi and high-band
radio transmission to:
• Determine the location, direction and speed of the train
• Warn the train crew of a potential problem
• Take action by stopping the train if there is not a response by the
train crew.
Currently, BNSF is the only Class I freight
railroad to have completed the installation of
PTC on all of our mandated subdivisions.
Within our mandated subdivisions, 90 percent of
BNSF's trains are now running on PTC.
We continue to test the system in advance of the
December 31, 2018, deadline. Testing is a
critical part of the PTC implementation once the
technology has been installed on our tracks and
locomotives. We have also run more than 800,000
successful PTC trips.
Story continues below photo
In Washington, BNSF is installing PTC on more
than 970 miles of track, which includes our
Spokane, Bellingham, Columbia River, Fallbridge,
Lakeside, Scenic and Seattle subdivisions.
Overall, the scope of BNSF's PTC installation
includes installing PTC technology on 5,000
locomotives and 11,300 miles of track.
As part of our process, BNSF must address not
only the issues of implementing PTC for freight
service, but also the unique equipment, software
and integration involved with passenger
railroads and non-BNSF locomotives that operate
on our tracks.
Implementation cannot be complete until
interoperability with the other railways is
complete. We are unable to test interoperability
on a wide scale until other railroads have also
completed their infrastructure installation.
While each railroad, be it passenger or freight,
maintains its own system, the industry has
committed to using similar technology standards.
Coordination is key and BNSF has a strong
collaborative effort among its partnering
agencies involved in the implementation of PTC.
Every railroad is required to have their own PTC
system that is interoperable with other
railroads' PTC systems.
In Washington, for passenger trains that run on
BNSF tracks, they will not be operating with PTC
until the appropriate agencies have completed
their own PTC installation.
We look forward to working with other railways
and partners, including those in Washington
state, to expand interoperability. BNSF is on
track to meet the December 31, 2018, deadline
for PTC implementation and we continue to work
closely with the FRA, and other railroads to
ensure PTC enhances rail safety wherever it
operates.
TRAIN SAFETY TIP: To report a vehicle
stalled on a crossing, suspicious circumstances,
malfunctioning crossing gates and lights or any
other emergency, call 800-832-5452 immediately. |
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