Positive Train Control

The freight rail industry has been piloting various positive train control (PTC) applications for the last 10 years with some success in the use of the application. Recently, the FRA mandated by law the installation of a PTC system – a collection of operating systems designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over speeds, signal violations and unauthorized encroachment into railroad work zones. All of the major Class Is, many of the major passenger train operations and other railroad operations as selected by the FRA are to comply with the new law, which mandates having systems installed by the end of 2015.

Many of the rail carriers are developing large infrastructure management systems to support PTC, and TranSystems has been at the forefront helping to establish track database requirements, identify commercial power requirements for new monitoring devices, and develop a strategy for keeping the track database up-to-date on the locomotive.

TranSystems has more than seven years experience in working with the rail industry in developing and maintaining the GIS applications that drive the track database. The new more timely change management requirements increase the challenge of keeping the information in the track database current. It is this change management process and potential hosting of the GIS track database that makes TranSystems a unique supplier of these services. Field data collection, verification, data quality screening/filter development and GIS application development all reside in TranSystems’ area of expertise, no matter the size of the application or the client. 

Leading a knowledgeable team with experience in railroad operations, engineering, transportation, budgeting and PTC, TranSystems  PTC expert spent four years working for a major Class I to further develop its PTC pilot program, and provided support to the industry as a whole, for the further development of a nationwide implementable PTC system for the United States Class Is.